One more Time
by Kyi-Ragkiril
Summary: What would you do if you were on your death bed after achieving all of your goals but instead of dying you wake up in the past? If you are Uzumaki Naruto and Sakura, then shaking the very foundations of the ninja world seem like a thing of the past.
1. Past or Present?

**Title: One more Time**

**Premise**_: __Naruto and Sakura were on their death bed after living a long life together. However, as soon as they closed their eyes for the last time they were somehow transported to the past when they were 13 years old. Naruto is on the 3 year training trip with Jiraiya and Sakura is the student of Tsunade. Since the two of them had plenty of experience both of them decided to use that to become strong enough to compete with the best shinobi of their world in three years. Watch as fights to save the world occur, as prophecies are upturned and the shinobi nations are ushered in a new era._

_**Before you begin to read this story there are some things I as the author wanted to make clear. First of all English is not my first language and as such there might be some discrepancies in what I am trying to convey and what you as a reader get out of it. However, I will work hard to make sure that there are minimum disruptions in regards to spelling and grammar. Also, this story has Naruto and Sakura as the main pairing and they will be strong. If you have a problem with either of these aspects you are free to read other stories on this wonderful site.**_

_**I will also not be following the manga word for word, there might be some similarities but this story is AU and as such the characters will mature and grow quicker. I am tired of reading about stories where Naruto trains- fights bad guys- has a hard time and then trains some more. It's getting boring and as such I have decided to write my own story. There will be plenty of action but it will be fast paced, which means the fights will not be like what happens in the manga. I personally am more excited by the run up to the fight, the thoughts behind character transformations and the change in thinking which leads to character growth, so please be warned that intrigue for me would be a very important part of this story. Since this is my first story, please excuse the mistakes and lack of any coherence that you come across. I am more than willing to read your constructive criticisms so please review.**_

Disclaimer: Naruto manga and anime are both owned by Kishimoto and whatever company is associated with him. There is also an idea used from David Weber, hopefully the more avid reader would be able to recognize it. In short, I am just writing for fun so please excuse my use of the characters from manga or anime.

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><p>***OMT****<p>

In a field of grass, with nothing around for miles, a blonde haired boy with whisker marks on his cheeks was meditating. His face showed an expression of calmness; however his thoughts were anything but. If anyone had been able to delve into his mind they would have been surprised to note that despite the outward appearance radiating tranquillity, the boy was communicating with someone that was hundreds of kilometers away.

The topic of discussion was exceptionally astounding as well since it consisted of time travel. Especially travelling to the past, which was the conundrum that Uzumaki Naruto found himself in.

"Sakura-chan, were you able to find anything?" Uzumaki Naruto asked. No words were spoken from his mouth. It was not needed since both Naruto and Sakura were able to communicate telepathically.

_"Thank god for small mercies…,"_ Naruto thought, silently thanking whatever deity was out there who decided to play this prank of epic proportions on him. He was pretty sure, if he was unable to talk to Sakura or if he was the only one who somehow, through no fault of his own was able to come to the past then he probably would have done something foolish and irrational.

He was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that somehow both of them were in the past. It was not intentional, which made it all the more confusing. He had been part of too many wars, seen too many deaths, seen his family and friends die and yet never in his life did he desire to go back to the past or anything of the sort. It was supposed to be impossible so there was no reason to spend time thinking about it. But somehow it did happen and even after trying to come to terms with it, the fact that they were here was hard to grasp.

"No, Naruto….," he heard from the other end of the connection. Sakura sounded troubled, which was understandable given the situation. "Nothing seems to be out of order."

"I don't think it's a genjutsu, Sakura-chan." Naruto said hesitantly, "I can still do senjutsu and if I was in a genjutsu I would have been able to break it."

Naruto paused for Sakura to respond but she was quiet, he could feel her thinking most likely about him reaching the same conclusion as hers.

"You said before that you couldn't talk to Kurama," Naruto heard from Sakura, "Did anything change?"

This was one topic that was just weird and painful for Naruto. He could feel Kurama's chakra within him, after so many years of being together they had merged into one being. Naruto was Kurama and Kurama was Naruto, yet they were different. It was hard to understand but Sakura understood. Heck she had even met Kurama and hit it off with him. The first time it happened Naruto was so surprised because he was standing beside Sakura fully prepared to jump in and stop Kurama in case he tried to hurt his Sakura-chan. Just the opposite happened, they talked like civilized beings and once Kurama saw that Sakura held no ill will towards him, since then they maintained a very good rapport. It was the first time in the history of the ninja world that one of the tailed demons was on good terms with not only his partner as Naruto started calling the bijuu but his partner's wife as well. It was weird at first but then it became familiar and weird became the norm, at least for Naruto.

"No, there is no change," there was a sadness in his thoughts which was clearly felt through their telepathic link, "I have Kurama's chakra, all of it but Kurama is not here." At this a frown appeared on his face.

"No, that's not right," he started once again, "The Kurama that we knew isn't here but the Kurama from the past is here. I can't find my past self though so I don't know what happened there."

There was no immediate reply and Naruto could feel Sakura thinking about this. This was another aspect that was confusing and the one that hurt the most. Kurama and he had created a good rapport in their time. They became the best of friends and he made sure that when he became Hokage that Kurama was known as the guardian of Konohagakure no Sato. It was a big change for Kurama and it showed in his mannerisms as well. The malevolent beast that was called Kyuubi no Yoko mellowed out and even became proud of his title. Of course another reason was the merger with Naruto once the seal was removed. It was a relationship between two partners in the truest sense of the word. So for Naruto to not have his inner partner was hard.

The mass of chakra from this timeline was still Kyuubi no Yoko, which meant that he, would have to convince the fox to once again believe in him; to once again allow Uzumaki Naruto to merge with him and their chakras. As of right now, Naruto had a lot of chakra, more chakra then he had ever had in the previous timeline.

_"And why wouldn't I?"_ Naruto thought bitterly. It was not just his chakra but Kurama's as well that was mixed. So as of this moment in terms of chakra alone he had more than any other human being on this planet, _"Of course this is not counting the fact that I have another source of chakra within me; this timeline's Kurama was still here behind the cage."_ He completed the thought and tried to get back to the discussion.

"So, it's basically back to the starting point?" Naruto heard Sakura asking him.

"Yeah…no other choice, it seems." He sighed.

Was it wrong of him to not want to go through that again? He was tired, he had saved the ninja world already, heck if he was truthful Sakura and he had saved the ninja world plenty of times. They had stopped wars from happening, stopped children from being orphaned, stopped diseases and plagues and made sure that communication between different villages was open at all times. There were hardships of course but who didn't have them, in the end though it was not just Naruto but Naruto and Sakura who made sure that the world they lived in was different from the world that started it all. The ninja system was changed and diplomacy was seen as the vanguard for solving the problems. But now they were back to being 13 years old and the problems were just starting to pile up.

"I don't know what to do Sakura-chan." Naruto's emotions were pouring through the link, "On the one hand I am really happy that I get to see ero-sennin. Heck, I can't wait to see Tsunade-baachan, or Shizune-neechan, or the rest of our friends. It's such a welcome surprise."

However, through the happiness of meeting his precious people there was a caveat. A big one if he was honest with himself.

"But this means, that we have to prepare for war once more. People like Nagato, Itachi, Sasuke and worst of all that freaking body double of Uchiha Madara and Kabuto." Naruto replied with frustration palpable in his emotions.

Sakura didn't say anything. She just listened. She had been with Naruto for a long time now and she knew he needed to get this out of his system. It was his way of coping with stress so she just listened.

"Facing those people isn't even the worst thing Sakura-chan, but the lack of power I have." Naruto heard a scoff from the other end. Even though he couldn't hear anything at least not with his ears he could feel it in Sakura's emotions.

"Naruto, you said it earlier that you have Kurama's chakra, at least the Kurama from our timeline and you still have the Kurama from this timeline so power is the one thing you don't lack." There was exasperation galore from the other end of the link but Naruto understood that it was just Sakura's way of calming him down by lightening the mood.

"Sakura-chan, you know what I mean. This power that you are talking about can be beaten easily by people that we will have to face again. No, I will have to master the finesse of the ninja arts." Naruto replied in a whinny voice that he knew made him seem childish but now he had a valid reason because what do you know, he was 13 years old again.

"Heck, it's not just me Sakura-chan; you will have to train like mad to reach the stage that you were at. It took you 10 years to be able to compete with me." Naruto said reminding Sakura of what she went through to be Naruto's equal. "And all of that time was for training alone, now you will also be burdened by missions."

He could feel Sakura thinking about this, the sensation was similar to gears turning on a big wheel, it was refreshing to say the least, and then he heard, "Yeah, but this time I am not starting from scratch. I have the experience, and so do you we just have to make sure that our physical abilities are able to keep up with our mental abilities."

After a bit of pause Sakura continued, "With you the problem will be control as always," here he heard exasperation in her voice, "but this time you can fully utilize the kage bunshin from the start. With me, it's the total opposite. I need to start working on physical ability so that I will never be out of chakra. "

Naruto heard what she said and thought about it. In a general sense that is what they had to do. And it didn't even seem that hard. After all working on physical ability would not be a problem for him. His stamina would come in handy for that but Sakura wasn't just talking about purely taijutsu and speed in terms of physical ability. She will probably go through that ritual once more; heck there was no doubt in his mind that she will activate the jutsu, which concerned him because her life would be in serious danger. He knew she will but still he just had to ask.

"Sakura-chan…Are you going to go through that jutsu this time as well?" Naruto asked hesitantly. His anxiety was clearly evident through the link, though he wasn't trying to hide it. That was one jutsu that scared the shit out of him, not only because of the difficulty level but because it required a lifetime of commitment. There was no halfway point and once it got going, there was no way to turn it off because it would consume the person in control.

"Naruto, you know I will….," Sakura sent feelings of love and understanding via the link to let him know that it will be alright. She knew he was scared and that was alright with her but she needed that jutsu. It was a culmination of her hard work and she was the only one who could do it, "It won't be like last time. This time I already know the risks that I will face and I already have a few strategies lined out to make things better."

He knew she had already thought about it and he understood why she wanted to go through with the dangerous jutsu. It was one thing that was unique to her and it was achieved through countless hours of hard work but the risks were enormous as well and that's what scared him. Heck it would be so much easier if she had one of the tailed beasts sealed in her because despite the challenges that come with it, this jutsu of hers made it seem like a piece of cake. And so he replied, "I know you have Sakura-chan… I know you have."

"Don't worry about it right now. It's not like I am going through the jutsu right now," Sakura replied and Naruto felt her determination through their bond, "Anyway, the preparations would take a long time and we know that I cannot gimp out on those. I need to make sure my physical abilities are simply at the top of their game."

"Yeah, that applies to me as well," Naruto said and tried to send out feelings of love for her, "Though, it will be one of the toughest things we will ever do because right now I just feel lethargic."

Sakura laughed at Naruto wording, he was the last person that she would say was lethargic. The amount of chakra he had available just wouldn't let him be still for very long. His twitchiness was part of the package, though she empathized with him. For a lack of a better word they were slow and just to add insult to injury, extremely weak as well. The training was a chance for both of them to build themselves from the ground up and this time, they did not require people to hold their hands. Their experiences from their past life would not only help with fixing the problems but allow them a chance to thoroughly make sure that any disparities would be singled out and removed early on. This time the challenges for them required finesse and a keen mind, instead of going by the seat of their pants as they did last time.

"So have you thought about how you are going to go through the training?" Sakura asked Naruto bringing the conversation back on topic. "Since Jiraiya-sama is stil alive, he would be looking over your shoulder the whole time."

Naruto smiled at that. Ero-sennin was alive, his teacher, his grandfather figure heck his godparent, call him what you will was alive and this just seemed like a bonus. Naruto knew Sakura felt the same way, when she found Tsunade alive. Just having the two of them alive made Naruto appreciate this going to the past thing. He couldn't wait to see his Tsunade-baachan and the rest of his friends.

"That's fine Sakura-chan. I have the perfect diversion for that case." Naruto replied and felt Sakura agreeing with him.

"Kage Bunshin. Yeah, it makes sense. Show him early on that you figured out the secret and can use it for training," Sakura said.

"Yup, those clones are so handy after all," Naruto smirked through the bond or at least that's what Sakura felt at the other end.

"Make sure you concentrate on all aspects of being a shinobi and I will do that same," Sakura said through the bond to make sure Naruto understood the seriousness of what she was implying. Last time they were bogged down through their lack of experience and thus concentrated on things that came easier. For example last time for Naruto it was focussing on rasengan and its variations and Kurama's chakra and for Sakura it was medical ninjutsu.

But later on they realized that specialization in their fields doesn't necessarily impart leadership qualities, where you have to deal with different people with different specialization. Especially, when you are a leader of a shinobi village a varied set of fields under your reign brings out the best in you and the people around you. Both of them learned this the hard way last time so this time they will make sure that all the fields that encompass being a shinobi was covered.

"Yeah...…Ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu," Naruto agreed, "We need to be proficient in all three and I know which one I will have the most trouble in."

Sakura knew what Naruto was saying, Genjutsu was hardest for him to learn simply because it required more finesse than ninjutsu and taijutsu. Naruto was a rough fighter, able to make do with the surroundings anywhere to come out on top, which meant for ninjutsu and taijutsu to be hard hitting and powerful. But genjutsu required a more subtle touch but she knew once he learned to control his chakra, then creating genjutsu would not be impossible, just hard.

"I know, Naruto…but don't neglect it. You were finally able to do it last time. Just remember once you learn control you can use genjutsu like anything else." Sakura replied, conveying her conviction for his abilities by letting him know that she understood that he can and will do it. "Don't let anyone…not even Jiraiya-sama tell you otherwise…better yet don't let that thought cross your mind ever again."

Naruto laughed through their bond. He knew what she was trying to say and he agreed with her. There was nowhere that said genjutsu was impossible for him. Just that it was extremely hard to the point where he would not have the time to actually be able to be any good at the subject, so it was better for him to focus on other abilities that would give him a chance at surviving. "I know Sakura-chan," Naruto repeated once more, "I will not let it go this time. I already went through the hard stuff already and once I unleash the clones, then it will start to become easier."

Naruto could feel her nodding her metaphorical head, "Good…we need to remember that we are not the same people that we were earlier in this timeline. We have the experience so it is much better to utilize it and plan accordingly, which means no gimping out on training for either of us." Sakura lectured and she could feel his eye roll through their link.

Before she could get annoyed, Naruto asked, "So, what else have you planned?" Questioning her he continued, "Are you going to go up the ranks?"

Sakura went through with the plan in her mind, "Yeah…. I will."

Thinking about it some more she lingered, "Starting today, I will start to show Tsunade-shishou that I am different than before, in terms of concentration and ability." Sakura replied, "Basically…the plan is to show her that I am a natural at medical jutsu… once she realizes that it comes very easy to me and that I have a good handle on things then she will give a lot more freedom to do things my way."

Naruto didn't say anything for a few seconds, "So, how far up are you going to? Jounin?" Naruto asked. Though he knew the answer he still wanted to hear her reasoning.

"That's the plan. I will show everyone that once I had a dedicated teacher, there was nothing standing in my way from going to the top." Sakura said trying to think about what actually happened during the time when Naruto was out of the village.

Naruto nodded through the link, "I see. That's good." Still thinking about the course of action, "But are we both showing everyone a regular jounin persona or S-rank?"

Sakura frowned through the link because this was something that was bothering her , "I think being S-rank would be better but I don't know if we will get a chance to show that beforehand to the rest outside of our teachers,"

"I think that might be the right thing to do. Show both ero-sennin and Tsunade-baachan that we can go at it with the best of them." Naruto said while trying to think of a way to make his sensei believe him. "Even if no one else knows about it beforehand, we will have our opportunities to showcase our abilities when we fight Akatsuki again. We will gain our S-rank status then."

Sakura agreed. Naruto of course won't be able to go through the promotion since he was out of the village but the plan was to show Jiraiya that he had matured enough to be able to handle the uncertainty of B-rank and above level missions, along with making sure that he would be able to protect others on his team when he was the team leader.

"Yeah, that's a sound plan." Sakura said finalizing the plan. The little details would be left to them to individually sort out and if they were having any trouble they could of course talk to each other any time, "We also need to make sure that there are no stupid mistakes."

"Once you return to the village we will showcase our teamwork and that we can take care of other," Sakura said trying to think of anything else they left out of their conversation.

He agreed with her earlier statement there was no doubt in his mind that once their teachers saw the teamwork displayed by both of them, there won't be any doubts in their mind about letting Naruto and Sakura get a bit of freedom.

Moving on he went to the next topic that he wanted to ask, "And what about the tick, Sakura-chan?"

After a pause of few seconds Sakura said, "I will prepare it this time as well." Thinking about the various materials that would be required as well as the surgical procedure she continued, "It's become a part of our fighting style and it helps in making sure that we stay focussed in a battle."

Of course this was not counting the various other uses that it has, such as increased speed in ability to think, maintain focus, be alert and overall increase in reaction time. It was a pinnacle of medical ninjutsu that Sakura was able to make a concoction that would vastly improve their innate abilities by giving them time to think about it. Even though there was no slowing down of time it just felt like it to the user because of the increased ability to process thoughts. Naruto thought while getting excited as he couldn't wait to go through the procedure once more. Of course that would require him to go under the surgical knife but since it was Sakura who was working on him it was just fine with him.

Naruto responded, with a smile through the link showing that he was satisfied with her decision, "Oh and what about fuuinjutsu? Are you going to show proficiency with it as well?" He asked while thinking about the art that was such an integral part of who was as a person.

"Hmm… Good question. I don't know if Tsunade-sama is well versed in the art or not? And I am not aware of anyone who would know it on the same level as Jiraiya-sama." Sakura replied while thinking about the conundrum.

Naruto understood what she was trying to say, she was not aware of any teachers in the village that would suggest that she was able to learn fuuinjutsu to the point, where creating her own seals would be considered normal and of course the village won't have texts on fuuinjutsu just lying around for anyone to read. It would probably be restricted material and even though she would be able to gain access to it because she was the Hokage's apprentice it might be considered somewhat strange for her to take up such an arcane art and be well versed at it. Of course, at this stage for both of them, this was about showing others that they could learn it better, which would indicate the level of master. They both were experienced in seals that there probably was no one alive who would be able to do the same. It was just about hiding their knowledge until it was time to reveal it properly and that was fundamental for their operation.

"I think it would be best if you convey that you have the theory down pat and are probably on the level of Kakashi-sensei. From what I remember, he was able to identify seals but wasn't well versed with them to be able to create his own." Naruto said.

"And when you come back we can discuss it and you will show me how to improve myself?" Sakura asked through the link.

"Yeah, though I have to think of a plan to ask ero-sennin to start learning the art." Naruto said thinking about how it might go when he asked Jiraiya for it.

"Okay, that makes sense." Sakura said, though Naruto got the feeling that she was already thinking about something else.

"Naruto, we need to find out what exactly is going on in the rest of the world. I won't be able to do it until _that_ jutsu is complete, so you will have to take initiative." Sakura was thinking about a solution to do but nothing came to mind.

"That will be a little hard Sakura-chan. I don't know if ero-sennin would allow me to learn it. We just don't have the time, though of course I will ask him." Naruto said, thinking about a solution to actually be able to use his position as a student of Konoha's premier spymaster.

"I know but you have to somehow get through to him," Sakura replied, "I will look through the archives and mission reports once they get in and try to find information on my end but there is no alternative to fresh leads."

"Yeah. I will try Sakura-chan but no promises on this one," Naruto said.

"I know Naruto. Just try alright; otherwise we will have to think of something else." Sakura replied sending feelings of understanding through the bond, though Naruto could feel anxiety as well. She was thinking about something else and he had a rough idea.

"Have you…,"Sakura hesitated as she knew that this topic would be very personal even now after all this time had passed, "Have you thought about … what to do with Sasuke?"

And there it was, out in the open, the question that would have enormous consequences depending on how it was answered. Either way both of them had to solve this problem and there were only two possible solutions- one was to drag Sasuke back to Konoha kicking and screaming or two kill him off but then create a whole new problem of dealing with Itachi.

For Sakura, this question would be left to Naruto, she had no qualms about either of the possibilities and she would abide by whatever Naruto decided. Personally, she had moved on and Uchiha Sasuke was no longer in the picture. Her life was Naruto now and she would be damned if she let anything get in the way. It's been a long time for her and she had come to peace with herself that Naruto had won her heart and she gave her love to him freely, so the last member of the previous team seven didn't come into the picture, at least for her.

Naruto took a deep breath once he heard her question. He knew what she was asking and he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking as well but for him the answer was simple. He had already done his duty in the previous timeline or should he say his previous life? For the present, no matter how impossible or strange it seemed both Naruto and Sakura had a chance to once again live their life and this time be in control of their own destiny better than they were last time. So, the main priority for either of them was the fulfillment of their goals.

Naruto had decided to go for being Hokage once more but this time Sakura would be by his side right from the start and not just metaphorically. They had a plan for her as well though that would be a lot harder to enact, however if they were successful than it would set a precedent in the elemental nations where Konoha would be at the forefront once more. So, for Naruto the answer to her question was very simple. Uchiha Sasuke was a non-factor. He was only important to the point where they had to devise strategies to keep the sharingan away from Orochimaru and if he had to kill Sasuke for that then this time he won't hesitate. No the problem for him aroused more from the fact that Uchiha Itachi was a hero, who had done his duty far and beyond more than it was required of any shinobi ; it was all for Konoha and as such Naruto wanted to bring him back home.

"Sakura-chan, if you are asking whether I will save Sasuke this time around, then I will say it right now. I already completed my promise to you in our previous lives and I don't consider myself bound by it anymore." Naruto said with conviction trying to portray his feelings through the bond.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief at hearing that, "Thank you love….this puts me a little bit at ease. I already told you then…you were freed from the promise a long time ago but your stubbornness wouldn't allow you to back down."

"That was important Sakura-chan, I had given my word to you but this me right now is different." Naruto was remembering the past and the difficulties they had to endure because of the promise.

"Right now survival of Konoha is more important…I think I can safely say that for both of us," Naruto said with certainty "If I have to kill Sasuke for that I will not hesitate. We will give him a chance but just one and if he refuses than he will be considered an enemy."

Sakura thought about it for sometime, "That makes sense, though we will have to traverse this delicately," she replied with some trepidation, "We will have to think of a plan for this. If we are actually going to try to save Uchiha Itachi then Sasuke will have to be saved as well."

"I am not saying that we have to save Uchiha Itachi, Sakura-chan," Naruto uttered through the bond, "we will try to do right by him but if Konoha gets in danger due to this than is there even a point to it?"

"We still have time so we can think it over on this one and discuss it some other time." She said knowing that this was one of the topics that would have dire consequences, "this depends on how our training goes. We can't save anyone if we can't make them listen."

Naruto didn't say anything because there was nothing more to be said on this topic. They knew their goals, the steps needed to go through the objective and come out on top but it was still a daunting task. Most people would think how lucky they were to be able to go to the past and live their life again. But it wasn't that simple. The mistakes that they made in the past were made because there was no undo button everything that was done had a finality to it. But now they had to question decisions that they took when they were kids. They had forgotten more things than they could remember. That's what happens when new experiences come into life. The new encounters become prominent and old ones fade unless it was something big. Even the little things they remembered were not fully recalled just bits and pieces.

So, this time both of them decided to make their own path. Instead of just relying on the information they had from their past, Naruto and Sakura decided to use whatever they could and then make sure that if it was useful than the information could be exploited to fit into the grand scheme of their plans.

Both shinobi just sat in the quietness of their respective places and enjoyed each other's company. There was nothing that they couldn't convey through their bond and though it might make the separation harder for these three years, the chance to talk to each other was worth anything.

Sakura broke the silence first with a sigh, "Sun is coming up Naruto and I need to go and get back to training. You need to start getting back to your training as well."

"Aww…come on Sakura-chan, I just want to sit and talk to you. Is that too much to ask for?" Naruto whined.

"Naruto stop whining….it's not like you are a kid of something. It doesn't suit you." Sakura said exasperated with his childishness

"But Sakura-chan, I am 12 years old again…or was it thirteen? So of course I can act like a kid. It's totally allowed," Naruto said with a smirk or as Sakura liked to call it, his foxy grin.

She eye-rolled or at least that's what it felt like to Naruto, "Fine you big baby, act like a kid. When you come back though let's see if you get any kisses, I am not into little boys after all." Sakura teased.

"Oh come on that's just unfair…," Naruto said, while trying to gather his pride and send it through the bond, "I am the most macho man you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. I am not just any kid Sakura-chan."

"We will see, my little foxy kun…" Sakura said with laughter.

Naruto just revelled in her laughter, it was pure and it was very comforting to him. Even after all these years together they had a very good rapport and could make each smile easily.

"I love you Sakura-chan….I love you with all my heart." Naruto said trying to express his feelings through the bond as much of it that he could.

Sakura smiled and just swam in his feelings, it wasn't the first time that he had said it to her but every time he said those words they were said with such passion that her breathe was taken away each and every time.

She tried to show her sincerity and passion through familiar feelings, just entwining them and watching them dance in their mind's eyes, "I love you too Naruto…more than anything in the world ….that mere words don't seem to be enough."

And so the lovers sat and just enjoyed each other's company in silence until it was time to get up and get on with their training. Each certain of one thing, even if nothing else worked out they had each other and that was all that mattered.

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><p>***OMT****<p>

Sakura just got up from where she was sitting and talking with Naruto to go out and start the day's activity. Their plans were roughly laid out but the overall strategies were still far from being complete. Nothing will start for them unless they got their physical form in the peak condition. It was a prerequisite for being a top level shinobi. At the moment though she was just confused by looking at the state of the clothes in her closet, to say it was dismal would be an understatement.

She couldn't figure out what she had been thinking when she bought these clothes but I guess going through puberty does that to you. Now she was mature even though she looked like a 13 year old but nothing beats experience and wisdom that come with age. Looking at the clothes seemed like looking at a death trap, everything was loose and the top seemed flappy. It would not restrict movement but in a fight if she was fighting against someone who was wearing loose clothes then she would take full advantage and grab them to deal some pain or death.

For now though she would choose the usual clothing and start working out. As she started changing to her regular clothes, a plan was coming together in her mind to maximize the output of her training.

Everything else was on auto pilot. She had already memorized the layout of her house once more. In the other timeline the house that they lived in was considerably larger and she had gotten used to the luxuries because it took her a few days to adjust and tell herself that this was her house for now at least.

When she had somehow wakened up in this timeline, it was the most terrifying thing she could have imagined. There she was in her previous timeline with her husband, both of them on their deathbed and ready to depart from the world. They had lived a long and happy life and both of them had seen the shinobi villages ushered in a new era of peace. But Naruto and Sakura had lived a long life, which was longer even by any other standards. He had the advantage of his Uzumaki genes, which of course blessed his people with longer life span made even longer due to the merger with Kurama.

For Sakura, the long life span was the result of the kinjutsu that allowed her to actually become Naruto's equal and not just by relation. It irked her that he was stronger and no matter how hard she tried she was never able to close the gap, so she had worked hard to close the distance. She wanted to be closer to him not just emotionally but in strength. She still couldn't figure it out the reason for her desire to truly be Naruto's equal and if she was honest with herself it didn't matter to her anymore. She was once and now she will be again.

However, she knew the only reason she was able to find something to help her grow was because there was no pressure of war behind her. After the fourth great shinobi war things were peaceful once more and people started building their lives. The next conflict that happened in their world was 50 years away. Of course, they didn't know it then but the lull in fighting gave her a chance to utilize her ability to learn and be curious in order to solve problems. Thus instead of thinking like a shinobi she was able to devise a jutsu by thinking like a scientist and gain knowledge.

However, the price of the kinjutsu last time was her inability to have children. She had accepted that and Naruto in his good natured self hadn't left her because of it. She knew it hurt him that they were unable to have children but once they adopted and had children to call their own he was able to move past it. But this time she would make sure that everything went smoothly, since she wasn't running with just the seat of her pants anymore.

But that was not what she started thinking about. When Naruto and Sakura had lived past all their friends, their descendants and their descendants', the time seemed to pass more slowly. After living for a long time they decided to stop their cycle and pass on, but they knew that their bodies held a lot of secrets and the price of those secrets getting out would create chaos in the world and so they decided to make sure that their bodies were never found once they passed on. It was a simple jutsu of sending their bodies to a different dimension where they would be destroyed. However, something must have happened because instead of dying they appeared in their past, which was supposed to be impossible.

She still couldn't figure out what happened. It was mind boggling but just sitting around the house and hoping to die wouldn't help her anyway. After she found out that Naruto was alive and in the past as well it made things easier. They will take their place as leaders on the food chain soon enough but before that was the ugly monster of torture through physical training.

And so Haruno Sakura, once she was ready, opened up the window of her balcony and stepped on the railing. Taking a deep breath and letting fresh air hit her face, she looked at the portion of the village seen through her balcony, "Alright then, Day 1 of getting stronger through physical torture begins."

Right before she was ready to jump, a thought came to her mind, channelling a bit of Naruto within her she looked straight out and said with conviction, "Watch out Konoha, in three years, Uzumaki Naruto and Sakura are going to take this village by the storm."

* * *

><p>***OMT****<p>

6 months…

The residents of village hidden in the leaves were going about their usual business. The village streets were busy and various merchants were out selling their wares to the people in the marketplace. Several people shinobi and regular civilians were going about their lives, knowing that the village was safe for the moment. Konoha was known as the jewel of the fire country but the light only shined most brightly due to the tower in the middle of the village. This was the Hokage tower named to signify the leader of the village. In the tower, a buxom blonde was sitting at her desk going through the paper work that was the bane of all Hokage past or present.

The blonde woman with a jewel like marking on her forehead was known as one of the densetsu no sannin. She was the granddaughter of Shodaime Hokage, grandniece of the Nidaime Hokage and student of the Sandaime Hokage; Senju Tsunade.

At the moment said woman was surrounded by papers on her desk and even though she was supposed to be working towards making the piles go down, she looked to be deep in her thoughts to work on anything.

To be more precise, she was thinking about her newest apprentice Haruno Sakura. The girl was proving to be a very fast learner and it seemed her habits from the academy of neglecting her training was a thing of the past. From the reports that she received from her ANBU, every morning without fail Sakura would get up at 3 a.m. and go about working on her physical ability. And that's all she would do until it was time to meet with her and start her training regime under her.

In just six months the difference was clear to see. Before, she would have been hard pressed to match any of the competitors from the chunnin exams in terms of speed and strength, except for the Kunoichi's and even then Hyuuga Hinata and Tenten would have wiped the floor with her.

Tsunade was proud to note that wasn't the case anymore. And that is what was baffling her. Never before had there been anyone who was able to bring such a major change about their physical ability; Sakura could now match the very best in her year and might even win some fights.

She knew from the reports of the Chunnin exam that Kakashi taught Sasuke, Goken in order to increase his speed so that he could compete with Sabaku no Gaara. But he hadn't neglected his training before and with the help of the Sharingan it didn't seem like an impossible task. But Sakura was a different case, if she was truthful with herself then Sakura, before she starting training under her was a joke of a kunoichi.

The reason for that might be lack of a goal but if that was the case then bringing Uchiha Sasuke back would have been the goal that she was striving for. When Tsunade had asked her regarding her change in attitude, she replied clearly with all the confidence in the world that she had found a more worthy goal, something to strive for but wouldn't say anymore. It had made her all the more curious in regards to her student's new found determination but she didn't push it. Whatever, the goal might be it was something good for her since the results were clear for all to see.

Before she could go any further regarding her newest apprentice, she heard a knock at the door, "Yes?"

Slowly the door opened and she saw Shizune's head peaking in the room. Tsunade was surprised to see her as Shizune was supposed to be supervising Sakura's first surgery today and she wasn't expecting her first apprentice to come to her this early. Hoping that there were no complications, she motioned for Shizune to come in.

As Shizune closed the door behind her she slowly turned around and walked in the room. She bowed her head and in an awed voice said, "Tsunade-sama, the operation was a success. The patient is in recovery."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise, "How was Sakura's performance? Were there any problems?" She asked knowing from experience that first surgery is usually nerve wracking.

Shizune raised her head and looked Tsunade straight in the eyes, "Tsunade-sama, I have never seen anything like it…..Sakura was totally calm and collected and I didn't feel any nerves from her what so ever. She took charge and finished the procedure as if she had been doing it for years."

And once again Tsunade was stumped. She didn't know what to make of it. The clearly surprised expression on Shizune's face said something else because if it was true than Haruno Sakura was truly a diamond in the rough. For a 13 year old girl to become so proficient in healing arts that she was able to take part in her first surgery in 6 months since she started learning was unheard of. But then for said girl to perform the surgery and not feel nerves were something that she didn't even have a name for. She had no doubt about Shizune's ability to read someone through their body language, so that left the question- what exactly was Haruno Sakura?

"I don't know what to think...," Shizune continued getting her emotions back under control though it was a struggle as she was still having trouble coming to terms with what she saw Sakura perform, "She was in charge throughout and made sure that the rest of the staff was on top of it as well."

"She was able to pinpoint the person that was losing control and compensated accordingly…even… when I increased the difficulty level, she seemed two steps ahead and took care of the problems before others could identify it." Shizune shook her head from side to side; she wanted to pinch herself to see if she was in a dream or something.

"That's record time, Shizune…I wasn't expecting you for another 3 or 4 hours," Tsunade folded her handed in front of her leaned forward onto her desk.

"I wasn't either, Tsunade-sama. The only thing I can say is, she is a natural at this," Shizune said standing at attention, "Her control didn't waver once but that's not the most surprising part."

"Oh!" Tsunade exclaimed.

Shizune knew what she was about to say next would startle Tsunade as much as she was when she first observed it. In fact even now it was hard for her to believe, "Sakura used chakra scalpels instead of a surgical knife to perform the cut."

Tsunade was surprised; heck she was shocked to say the least. Chakra scalpels were of course more precise as the doctor performing the operation has more control over how they want to make the cut, so that there is minimal scarring but she only started teaching Sakura, the making of scalpels using chakra just a week ago.

"Have we found a prodigy in our midst; someone that was overlooked by others due to low chakra capacity and lack of ambition?" Tsunade asked more of herself than Shizune.

Shizune whispered slowly however the room was so quiet that Tsunade had no trouble hearing it, "I don't know Hokage-sama. It's hard for me to come to terms with it even now. A week isn't that long to be able to perform a surgery using that technique. It took me 6 months to control my chakra long enough for me to make an incision and Sakura did it in seven days?"

Tsunade sighed, once more vexed regarding her second apprentice, "What about the rest? Did she follow the rest of the procedures?"

"Yes," Shizune nodded, "She followed them to the letter."

Then she took a deep breath to calm her down. It's been a long time since something was able to shake her so much, "I think…. with just one or two more surgeries under her belt I wouldn't be surprised if she was able to perform them without us watching her."

To Tsunade it seemed that it was time to push Sakura to her limits. She wanted to find out if her student was a genius in truest sense of the word regarding medical ninjutsu. Because of her growth rate it won't be long before Sakura was able to overtake her though she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

Still it was early, she would keep a closer eye on her apprentice and if it seemed that she was able to thrive under pressure than Senju Tsunade would create a kunoichi that would be feared more than anyone else in the world.

Shizune saw the smirk on Tsunade's face and knew it didn't mean anything good for Sakura because if she knew Tsunade-sama and she knew her very well than, her kouhai was just going to be receiving a tremendous amount of workload.

'I am sorry Sakura…,' Shizune thought, pity clear in her thoughts, 'but … I think… you will probably be able to not only take the workload but thrive under the pressure.' And that is what was most extraordinary. Somehow, she recognized that Sakura would be able to juggle it all. The Sakura from 6 months ago wouldn't have been able to but the present Sakura would doubtless appreciate the challenge.

Tsunade was grinning; she couldn't wait to up Sakura's training and if she performed just as well then nothing would seem impossible for her apprentice, 'sorry Sarutobi-sensei but I will take the title of one of the greatest teachers in the world from you and of course I can't forget about that pervert Jiraiya.'

"Shizune keep an eye out for Sakura and keep me informed of everything regarding her ability. If she is the real deal then soon she will be able to surpass us both." Tsunade said her tone clearly showing how proud of Sakura she was.

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Shizune bowed and turned around to leave the room.

She stopped when she heard Tsunade mutter, "I should start her physical training as well. At the rate she is going, she might be able to achieve the rank of Chunnin in the coming exam."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed. She was thoroughly surprised that her teacher would even think about sending Sakura to the exams. The death rate at the exams has always been high, so to send someone like Sakura, who had so much potential in medical ninjutsu to take those risks seemed absurd to her.

Tsunade knew what Shizune was worried about and in a sense she agreed with her but there was something about Sakura that made her think that she might not just want to be a support kunoichi, "Don't worry Shizune, I know for a fact that Sakura has been working on her physical ability every single day for 5 to 6 hours for the past 6 months and already she has shown tremendous improvement." Tsunade tried to explain, "Once I get through training her, there won't be many people who will be able to touch her and add on the fact that she can heal herself….she will be able to make a name for herself."

Shizune knew there was no point in arguing with Tsunade when she had something like this mulling in her mind. And her teacher was right, if Sakura was capable of learning the strength technique, then there won't be too many Gennin who would be able to compete with her, "Hai Tsunade-sama."

As Shizune left and closed the door, Tsunade was left alone in the room once again with paperwork strewn all about. With a heavy sigh she picked up the paper in front of her and started reading it. She couldn't wait for Naruto to take her seat and for her to forever be away from all this paperwork.

She shuddered….Just looking at them gave her the shivers and she still had piles to read. So, with tears in her eyes the leader of the village set about battling the evils of paperwork.

* * *

><p>***OMT****<p>

2 years….

In a faraway place 2 miles out from the border of Hi no kuni sat a white haired man with a costume that seemed like it came from a Kabuki play with geta on his feet to finish the get up. This person was tall, taller than most shinobi and had facial markings that seemed liked tattoos. He was known throughout the ninja world as a toad sage, student of Sandaime Hokage and teacher of the Yondaime Hokage. This man was none other than Jiraiya of the sannin.

He was sitting on top of a mound of earth that he had raised through doton jutsu so that he had a high ground to overlook the training of his student. Since, the flat plains were filled with copies of a blonde hair kid it was safe to assume that this was none other than Uzumaki Naruto. Though calling him a kid seemed like a travesty as he looked more like his old man day by day.

For Jiraiya though Naruto was an enigma that he was having a hard time placing even after 2 years down the road. Before, they started this training trip Naruto had seemed adamant that he was going to save Sasuke no matter what. To Jiraiya, it just seemed like his past was repeating once again except this time his student's life was on the line. But somehow, Naruto had changed, he no longer spouted about getting stronger to save Sasuke and that is what baffled Jiraiya. When he asked about it, Naruto told him straight up, 'You can't save people that don't want to be saved.'

This coming from anybody else would not have seemed like such a big deal but Naruto saying that had truly surprised him. Since then he had mellowed out and his goal seemed to have reverted back to his original one. To be Hokage had been his ambition before but now it seemed almost like an obsession.

Jiraiya was proud though, extremely proud. He thought after Minato, there probably won't be anyone who could match him in terms of shinobi prowess and when he met Naruto before it didn't seem that he would be able to fulfill his father's footsteps.

But he was wrong, he should have realized it then that Naruto was not just his father's son but his mother's as well and that Uzumaki blood of his would come back with a vengeance. And so, a new Naruto emerged that was hard working, absolutely ruthless regarding his physical abilities, extremely concentrated and did not budge from his position once he made up his mind.

This was even more noticeable when he refused to train with Kyuubi's chakra. Even after all the prodding that he could come up with, the kid didn't shift from his position. At first Jiraiya was shocked, this was one of the most important things that he wanted to work on, once they were outside the prying eyes of the village and yet the kid refused to cooperate.

The worst part was that Jiraiya agreed with his reasoning, which was simple enough when Naruto told him to imagine himself being trapped by someone and then using his power without his approval.

_***Flashback***_

_Jiraiya was sitting in front of Naruto and trying to make him listen, "Kid do you understand what you are saying? You have a lot of power in you…if you don't learn to control it now than you won't stand a chance against Akatsuki."_

_Naruto frowned and looked straight at Jiraiya, "Ero-sennin, I don't know where you got this idea from that I am only as good as the amount of Kyuubi's power I can control."_

_Jiraiya could see that Naruto was getting angry, "The last time I used its power I felt dirty. I basically blackmailed him into giving me his power. I won't rely on his power to get stronger and why should I? The people I will be fighting against got stronger on their own so what makes you think that I can't?_

_"They have years of experience under their belt and years of time to train," Jiraiya deadpanned, getting frustrated._

_"And I have a way to get around it….in case you forgot," Naruto felt exasperated at Jiraiya's stubbornness, "I won't take his chakra ero-sennin. That's not the way for me and if I really want to take the mantle to achieve peace from you than it has to start with myself."_

_Jiraiya sat stunned at Naruto's words, "I will try to work with Kyuubi and make him understand that I have no desire to take anything from him. I will work with him and be his partner until I get through to him."_

_****Flashback****_

He couldn't say anything after that because no matter what reason he came up with it seemed hollow. On the one hand he was extremely proud that Naruto had taken his words to heart and was already thinking about how to achieve them; on the other hand he was extremely worried. He had thought if Naruto was able to use Kyuubi's chakra then fighting S-rank level opponents in three years would not be impossible.

Of course, Naruto was already proving him wrong. There was no doubt in Jiraiya's mind that within one more year Naruto would be able to contend with the best of them. The kid was a goldmine in terms of shinobi arts and with his Kage Bunshin nothing seemed impossible.

The example was right in front of him with thousands of Naruto's going through their training. Of course the majority of his clones were working on chakra control as always. Jiraiya knew it had become an obsession with the kid. To him there was no technique in the standard shinobi tactics that he couldn't perform as long as they did not require a bloodline.

The reason for that obsession was very simple. Naruto had a large amount of chakra. If Jiraiya was honest with himself he had never met anyone who had even come close and he didn't know the reason behind it. When he first met Naruto, it was clear to him that he was a walking, talking chakra battery. If nothing else it was clear from his stamina and his hyper activity.

But since he started the training trip the amount of chakra that Naruto possessed had increased by leaps and bounds. At first he thought that the seal might be malfunctioning but once he checked the seal everything seemed to be in order. To this day he still hadn't been able to explain the increase in chakra, which was a lot for such a young boy.

Therefore, chakra control was a must except Naruto had even loftier goals than Jiraiya realized at first. He wanted to learn all three aspects of being a shinobi and absolutely harassed Jiraiya until he got his point across. Heck, Naruto made it a personal mission to not learn any new jutsu until he got a regular Bunshin no jutsu down pat. At first Jiraiya wanted to smack him around for his stupidity.

What was the point of coming with him if he wasn't going to learn anything new? First he refused to control Kyuubi's chakra, which Jiraiya was able to look past but now this just seemed foolish. However, the kid refused to budge and everyday he would make upwards of two thousand Kage Bunshin and work on nothing but chakra control. Seeing that many clones working on just one thing stumped Jiraiya and he was finally able to see it from Naruto's point of view.

Naruto wanted to learn everything but he knew that basics were the key and so that's what he started at. When Jiraiya understood what Naruto was trying to tell him he wanted to kick his own ass for being stubborn. His student had never had anyone who wanted to help him in being a shinobi. He certainly didn't receive it from the academy and of course his own carelessness was to blame as well.

Now Naruto had a chance to learn from someone who was well versed in the ninja arts and since he didn't have any distractions of teaching anyone else, both master and student set about working towards the same goal.

Making one, Uzumaki Naruto strong enough to face any obstacle in the world and survive.

Once that was decided there was not much that would have stopped either of them. Naruto had the hard headedness of his mother genetically and Jiraiya was teaching him the finesse that this father was known for. Once the two greatest aspects of both his parents were combined Jiraiya was sure that Naruto would surpass all the previous Hokage.

Getting up from his seat as he saw Naruto finish his warm up Jiraiya walked up to him and got ready in a fighting stance.

"You ready kid?" Jiraiya smirked, "The best part of the day for me has arrived…. I get to kick your ass to kingdom come and you have to take it like a good little student you are."

Naruto scoffed and flipped Jiraiya the bird, "You wish ero-sennin. You haven't been able to kick my ass for the past 3 times what makes you think I will let you do now…you old coot."

And so began another training session between the master and the student.

* * *

><p>***OMT****<p>

3 years….

At the gates of the village hidden in the leaves two figures emerged from the forests surrounding the village. As they entered the gates, the guards posted at the entrance got out of the booth to stop the outsiders from coming into the village without permission, however once they had a good look at them they stopped and bowed to the figure on the left.

Standing tall at 6'5 and carrying a large scroll on his back with long spiked up white hair and wearing a hitae-ate with the kanji for oil was none other than the self-proclaimed pervert and resident toad sage of the village. They both knew that Jiraiya had been outside the village training his newest apprentice but were shocked out of their stupor by looking at the person walking beside the toad sage.

Once they saw both of them walk past the gates to the interior of the village with the younger man wearing a nostalgic expression on his face, they were able to bring their expressions under control.

The chuunin with bandages running over the bride of his nose and a light coloured marking on his chin, known as Hagane Kotetsu remarked, "That was Jiraiya-sama, so that means the person beside him was the runt that beat the Hyuuga at the Chuunin exams."

His partner Kamizuki Izumo, just sighed in agreement, "Yeah…3 years and look at the difference from then and now."

"Damn….I wish I had Jiraiya-sama as my teacher as well, then I would have been the coolest shinobi alive," Kotetsu sighed while day dreaming.

Izumo scoffed "The only thing you would have done was become a lecher and try to surpass Jiraiya-sama by being a pervert."

Turning towards his partner with a straight face, Kotetsu tried to put his most suave face forward, "So? Somebody has to do it."

In response Izumo could only shake his head and get inside the booth, while muttering under his breath, "Idiot."

It was just another day in the life of the gate guards of Konoha.

* * *

><p>***OMT****<p>

"So gaki, how does it feel to finally be back in the village?" Jiraiya asked as he looked at Naruto wearing a nostalgic expression on his face while looking at the face of Tsunade on the Hokage monument.

"It's great ero-sennin. There is no place like home," Naruto replied happily.

"Oh….I bet you just can't wait to meet that crush of yours," Jiraiya teased, "after all, you still have to win her heart…and now you even have a chance due to my teaching."

Naruto could see Jiraiya's expression going to his pervert mode, deciding to put a stop to it now before Sakura arrived, after all she already knew he was in the village, "Your teachings my ass….you just want me to use that perverted stuff so that you can find material for your smut."

"And what's wrong with that punk?" Jiraiya asked, "You are my student and as your teacher I should get some perks."

Naruto, could only shake his head in annoyance, before he could say anything Sakura landed in front of him and he couldn't do anything else but get lost in her eyes.

She was still as beautiful as he remembered but now this 16 year old Sakura oozed confidence that the Sakura from his original timeline didn't achieve until much later. Here was a woman who was comfortable with herself and knew there was nothing she couldn't do if she put her mind to it.

For the first time in three years Uzumaki Naruto looked at his wife from another time and found the same Sakura looking back, regardless to say anything else, he fell in love with her all over again.

Looking her up and down, he could see that she had went with the clothing that she wore in the previous timeline, with her hair cut short, a red tank top that hugged her figure and black figure hugging pants. On her waist was her utility best with knee high boots at her feet. To finish the ensemble she was wearing a black haori on top that hid everything and ensconced her from top to bottom in a protective cocoon.

It was similar to what Naruto himself was wearing. The only thing in orange was his top. It was similar to the top part of his jump suit but that's where the similarities ended because everything else was finished with black pants, boots and a black coloured haori that was similar to Sakura's in design and covered him fully during battles.

He just smiled and in a soft voice complimented her, "You look even more beautiful then I remembered Sakura-chan."

"You look very handsome too, Naruto," Sakura replied happily while keeping her eyes on him the whole time. She had missed his warmth and his touch these past three years.

She couldn't wait to be in his arms again but before they could go any further, she heard a throat clearing and turned to face the person, "As much as I hate to interrupt you two from providing me material for my books…I think it would be better if we go to Tsunade-hime's office first. She is probably eager to see you as well, gaki."

Sakura's just smiled politely dismissing his remark about the material for that smut for now because here was Naruto's family, his grandfather figure that she hadn't seen in a very long time and this time they had the means to save him.

"Welcome back, Jiraiya-sama." Sakura bowed and then turned around to lead the two of them to the Hokage tower, "Come on, I am going that way as well."

And so the three people made their way to the centre of the village in order to meet the revered leader or in Jiraiya's case his old teammate and crush. The three of them were walking in silence but Naruto and Sakura were hardly silent at all, they were talking through their link and Jiraiya was walking besides them watching the two and just being happy for Naruto that his teammate might be receptive to his advances.

So, the adventures of Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura were just beginning. It was a time for great change, it just wasn't known yet that these two would change the fate of the shinobi world and turn the old traditions on their heads. A new beginning was near and the agents of change were finally together.

* * *

><p>***End of Chapter 1***<p>

**Woohoo, I finished the first chapter. Now I am feeling high so time for me to start writing another one...Review peeps...I know this one is dialogue heavy but fear not action is coming up too. :) Peace...**


	2. Old dog New tricks

_**Title: One more Time  
><strong>_

_**First of all thank you to everyone, who reviewed the first chapter. There were several reviews that made me think about the direction that I have taken and will be taking in the future, whether they be about Naruto/Sakura's personalities, their character growth, their dreams and desires for the future along with various other tangents. So thank you very much.**_

_**Also, I am happy that people enjoyed the first chapter; I was especially surprised when I received the notices for alerts. It's very satisfying to think that people actually liked my story enough to eagerly await the next chapter, so hopefully I won't disappoint you too much. Secondly, there was a reviewer who asked about Naruto working with Kurama's chakra. The only thing I can say is that it will happen of course you will just have to wait and see. They will be friends because it's Naruto, and when he works his magic even demonic entities can't resist him.**_

_**Thirdly, I am very grateful to the people who pointed out the spelling and the grammatical errors. I have already fixed them in the first chapter and have proof read this chapter. However, if you find them please let me know. **_

_**As a warning, I feel this chapter is also dialogue heavy; however, there is action as well. I think my desire to read about a character's thoughts and dreams take me on a journey when I am writing them and curbing that desire seems hard to do at the moment. It could very well be because of my inexperience in writing, so hopefully it will improve as I mature.**_

_**Also, I feel it's prudent to inform you the naming system used in the story regarding the use of techniques. I will use a mix of Japanese romanji and English for jutsu names. The elemental techniques especially would be in English as it makes it easier on me to come up with new techniques. However, the common techniques like replacement, transformation, clones, body flicker be in Japanese romanji. **_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else written by Kishimoto or David Weber, because if I did then you can be sure that there are several books that I would love to combine with Naruto's storyline or create crossovers and get paid for it. Alas, I have no such authority, for which I think the world is all the more poor for it.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

"Ugh…" Uzumaki Naruto groaned while trying to wake up from the onslaught of drugs that Sakura had injected in him.

He felt nauseous even though there was nothing in his stomach to vomit, except for bile, which he could feel at the back of his throat. His painful cry must have awakened Sakura because she came into his field of view with a glass of water.

Holding the water in front of his lips, she gently cradled his head and bent it forward, "Here, just take a few sips," she advised, "I know your throat is parched but that's just the meds dissolving in your system."

After tasting a few drops and waiting a few minutes to stop his head from spinning, Naruto asked, "So? How was it?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow in question, "You had any doubts?"

Naruto chuckled lightly on asking a stupid question. This was his Sakura-chan, his wife and she was performing an operation on her husband, of course she would do everything in her power to make sure that the surgery was a success. To Sakura there was no alternative, "Sorry, it's the medication." Naruto wheezed.

Sakura just looked at Naruto, sitting beside her with his head in her lap and said, "Ah huh, that's what I will take it as because the substitute statement of you not trusting me enough to insert a simple pharmascope in you seems very unlikely."

Naruto just wanted to curl up and turn the other way around because Sakura was scaring him; also considering the fact that he didn't feel well enough to get up and walk, there was no one to save him from her wrath, so he did the only thing that he could think of, "hehehe, Sakura-chan, you know I was just joking, hospital humour and all that."

Sakura just shook her head in amusement, "Baka."

They sat in silence for a while with Sakura running her fingers through Naruto's hair. It was something that she had started to do in her previous life whenever Naruto was injured and was on the way to recovery. For some reason, it seemed to relax him; to Sakura this seemed like a left over trait of Kurama. He might be a demonic entity but the shape was still of a fox so maybe it was similar to rubbing the fur of an animal.

Looking at Naruto it seemed that the surgery was successful. He wasn't having an adverse reaction other than being nauseous, which was a good sign. It wasn't that this was a hard operation for her but there were certain factors that made it one of the worse to perform. First reason was that it was her husband who was under the knife so to speak, therefore it was infinitely more demanding to remain objective. Second reason was that she had to fight Kurama's chakra throughout the surgery to keep him from closing the cut before she had inserted the pharascope. And the third reason was the placement of the pharmascope.

The pharamascope was nothing more than a seal matrix that would be embedded into Naruto's brain, covering all the lobes. The Seal matrix itself was made of a concoction of various medications that Sakura had researched to increase the functionality of the brain and thus induce an effect where the person was able to think clearly, react faster and was able to multi-task better than others.

However, the best part was that once it was embedded, the production of the 'tick' as Naruto had dubbed it due to the sensation of having more time was done instantaneously by the seal matrix. The starting materials used in the formation of the seal itself would multiply and augment the production of more medication by using the person's chakra. However, the placement of the seal was directly into the brain itself and any mistakes meant that the consequences would be permanent, which highlighted the point of it being one of the worst tasks that she allowed herself to undertake.

Once he felt the disorientation go away, Naruto slowly opened his eyes once more and looked around the chamber. When he had first arrived in the evening, he didn't have a chance to look around properly because Sakura wanted to finish inserting the pharmascope in him as soon as possible.

She wanted to make sure that he didn't have any adverse reactions from it that they couldn't solve before their test against Kakashi. Remembering that, Naruto smiled, it was so good to see him again and he made sure that Kakashi received the new Icha-Icha just like last time. He had surprised Tsunade when he hugged her, though he could see that it made her really happy and she returned the hug as well which made his day because it was not very often that Senju Tsunade didn't kill someone who initiated a hug without her express permission. Of course, Shizune-neechan also received a hug, though funnily enough, her whole face turned red before she hugged him back. At that moment he had subtly winked at Sakura while he had Shizune in his arms but she didn't rise to the bait and just rolled her eyes.

The pleasant atmosphere had continued till the evening, with Naruto and Sakura regaling everyone with the stories of their training. When both of them had asked for permission to be excused in order to get the surgery done on time, the evening had just started. Since he couldn't see the clock because Sakura was holding him in her arms, he asked "What time is it Sakura-chan?"

Sakura just got on the bed and hugged him tighter before replying, "Last I checked, it was getting to be 5 in the morning. Don't worry, we still have time."

Instead of replying, Naruto just snuggled closer to Sakura. He missed this warmth during the three years that he was away from her. Just being in her arms and having her close to him was the best drug for him, so Uzumaki Naruto drifted back to sleep in his wife's arms knowing he was safe.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

2 hours later…

Naruto woke up feeling refreshed, sitting straight up and popping the joints in his neck, shoulders, back and fingers he released a sigh of relief. Compared to before he was feeling much better and he was sure that once he took a bath he would be fully awake.

Looking around the place he saw that it was probably the smallest room in the house. Away from any prying eyes and as such there were no windows. How could there be, the room was underground and he was sure that Sakura had constructed it afterward to be able to do her research.

Though he wondered how deep underground he really was because he couldn't hear any footsteps above the ceiling, which meant that either he was in really deep or the walls were plastered together really well to create a sound proof room. It was most likely the latter because it would be easier for Sakura to construct the room through the use of doton jutsu and pack the walls tightly.

Slowly, the door on the left opened and he saw Sakura bringing a tray of food for him, "Good you are awake, saves me the trouble."

"Aww…" Naruto whined, "I wanted you to wake me up, Sakura-chan."

Shaking her head at his playful expression, Sakura came closer, "Well, I have the next best thing for you, breakfast in bed."

Naruto smiled a brightly in appreciation, and pointed towards the bedside table for Sakura to put the plate down. Once she was done with that he pulled her into him, "But first I want the best thing in the world Sakura-chan."

Saying that he leaned forward and kissed her first on the forehead, then on the eyes, both cheeks and finally on the lips. Sakura moaned as she felt his lips on hers, god did she miss this. For the past three years she had waited for him to come back and the desire had just been building. In a sense, it was a good thing that they were apart because now at 16 years of age, once they were able to find the right time then they would declare their relationship to the rest of the village.

For now though Sakura just enjoyed being in the arms of her husband. She had her arms wrapped around his neck while her fingers were playing with the hair at the back of his head. Naruto had one hand in her locks and the other around her waist trying to bring her closer to him. Losing herself to the moment Sakura moved closer and kissed him back just as hard.

Both of them were duelling with their tongues, trying to outdo the other when Sakura upped the ante by shoving Naruto back so that she could be on top. Naruto obliged to lie down on the bed and let his hands roam around her back. His touches were alternating between soft and hard, which was driving Sakura mad and he knew it was because he had done it a million times in his previous life. Slowly, his hands started going downwards but stopped at the small of her back to lift the top and slide them under her shirt.

Sakura shuddered as soon as his hands went inside the shirt. She moaned lightly between the kisses, his touch hammering her lust to the point of no return. Gently she rubbed his cheeks, especially the whisker marks; she knew it was a really sensitive place for him, if he was in the mood. Her answer was in the hitch of his breath as he suddenly stopped kissing back and just grabbed her tightly. She knew he was fighting the urge to groan out loud but he was holding himself back not wanting to give her the upper hand and that was just fine with her. She enjoyed it when he fought back; it made things interesting although before they could go any further, the alarm clock on the side of the bed starting ringing breaking the spell.

Both Naruto and Sakura groaned in disappointment; Naruto wanted to chuck the stupid alarm clock and smash it to pieces. Here he was back in his 16 year old body that was going through puberty and he had his wife with him who was willing and just as ready as him when the alarm had to sound. He really must have done something bad because right now it felt as if the Gods were playing a stupid joke on him.

Taking shuddering breaths both of them separated displeasure clearly visible on their faces. Breathing deeply to calm down Naruto watched Sakura get up from the bed and turn the alarm off, "Sakura-chan…why? Why did you bring an alarm clock down here?" He said in frustration with tears in his eyes.

Sakura looked at him in amusement and arousal, "Because I knew we were going to get carried away and we don't have the time for that right now."

Looking up at the ceiling to calm herself she let out a deep breath that she was holding, "Good thing too, otherwise we wouldn't have had the time to prepare for the bell test."

Naruto just shook his head in defeat and bent forward to pick up the tray of breakfast from the bedside table, "I still don't get the point of the test."

Taking a bite he continued, "I can understand the point of the test in the previous timeline, since we weren't as strong. But, what's the purpose this time?"

Drinking a bit of juice, he took another bite of the bread, saving his precious ramen for last, "Both of us have shown our teachers that we are strong enough to compete with them. What exactly is this test going to tell them this time?"

Sakura turned her back to him to go in the opposite corner from the door to pick up some scrolls at the end table, "I think they probably want to see whether we can still work together or not."

That was the only thing that she could think of. She knew her level…knew she could compete with the best of them and during her time in the village she had made sure to keep an eye on as many of the stronger shinobi as she could. Hatake Kakashi was one of the top ones in the village so it was not that hard to keep an eye on him. It might be hard to beat him but she knew she was capable of it. Of course, Tsunade-shishou also knew that though she hadn't said anything and from the word around the village anyone else was not any wiser to it as well.

"Teamwork, huh?" Naruto mulled in his head, breaking Sakura out of her reverie.

Shaking his head in pity, Naruto chuckled at the irony that both their teachers wanted to test them on something that was instinctual for them by now. The three years apart from each other was not even a factor in the grand scheme of things. After all they could talk to each telepathically, had known each other all their lives were married and were literally in each other's heads. If that didn't imply perfect teamwork than Naruto didn't know anything else in the world that would even come close.

The fact of the matter was that they were going to ace this little test. However, the question became how? What exactly should they use, the type of fighting they should conduct, should it be overwhelming victory or a showcase of abilities type of battle.

For Naruto and Sakura the outcome of the battle was obvious, it was the path that was taken towards the outcome that needed to be outlined. Of course, that was not to say that they knew they were going to win one hundred percent. Throughout their years in the previous life they had learned that during a fight there was no such thing as one hundred percent certainty. There were times when a much stronger opponent got taken down by someone that usually had no chance of winning. After all, Naruto was an embodiment of that philosophy, right from the beginning. No, what they learned was that it was much better to make sure that the odds were stacked in your favour right from the start and when it was time to fight, using those preparations made life much easier.

After all Murphy's Law always applied in battle; since they knew such a fact of life by now, it was time to rig the fight in their favour. Preparations for such a task required careful planning and a swath of tactics that would make sure that the fight was settled according to their preference. If, in order to do that they had to cheat then so be it, they were ninja after all. Lying, cheating and fighting dirty were part of the job.

Sakura saw Naruto finish up his breakfast and took his plate, "Come on Naruto, I need you to go through a few trials to see whether the procedure was successful or not and whether you can access the tick through your pharmascope correctly. "

Moving up the stairs in front of him she continued talking, "Then you will take a bath before we sit down for our planning session and I will fill you in on the preparations that I have completed."

Naruto just looked at Sakura's delectable behind moving from side to side. Too mesmerized to say anything due to the sight in front of him, Naruto nodded absentmindedly through the haze of desire for the wonderful creature that was his wife ahead of him.

She was of course aware where his eyes and mind were, though it didn't discourage her sway of hips at all. After all, what better way was there for her to make sure that Naruto followed her upstairs without thinking about the task ahead of him of using the tick. She knew how hard the first few times were and that breakfast he had just finished was coming back out pretty soon. So, she gave him a little show beforehand; it was of course meaningless to say that Sakura wasn't enjoying his attention. It was empowering for her to know that Naruto still found her attractive even after all this time and that she could still make him follow her with just a shake of her hips.

* * *

><p>****OMT*****<p>

Once the testing of the procedure was complete and Naruto was somehow able to pull himself together to get to the shower, Sakura started closing the windows and curtains and sound proofing the rest of the house. It was a habit that both of them maintained from last time, never knowing if there were prying eyes and ears in the walls. One of the major reasons for this security requirement was of course to prevent anyone from finding out the plans that both of them were going to concoct.

The foremost reason for soundproofing and preventing any person from getting a peek was because there were several classified materials that she would bring out. If found on her person she could be sent to jail or worse accused of treason so following the motto 'Prevention is better than the cure,' Haruno Sakura went about activating seals throughout the house, making it one of the most secure building throughout the village. The subterfuge was made even more convincing because the house was located on a busy street, therefore no one would find it bizarre that her house had her windows closed during the day. Of course, she could have gone to the basement and set everything there, however there was flaw when using doton jutsu to create chambers that another doton user might be able to utilize and thus bypass the soundproofing.

Once she was convinced that the house was locked down tight, she started to bring out various scrolls that would be required to plan for the bell test. This was an important part in the start of their journey and from now on they would be under higher scrutiny because more people would be relying on them. That was all part of the plan to make sure that Naruto's name was spread out throughout the village as the only viable candidate for the position of Hokage once Tsunade stepped down. In the future when Naruto would be able to wear the Hokage's hat then the true semblance of their plan would start. However, that was still far down the line before anything else, they had to make a name for themselves.

Five minutes later Naruto arrived wearing a new set of clothes, with a towel hanging on his shoulders. His hair was still wet and dripping water on his face, "That was refreshing."

Naruto sighed but then he looked at Sakura, "Is there anything else to eat? Testing the tick took everything out of me."

Sakura just smiled in understanding and kissed him lightly on the lips before going to the kitchen to get him another breakfast, "Here I made some more ramen."

Upon hearing of his favourite food Naruto's face lit up. Taking the bowl of ramen from Sakura, he placed it on the table before kissing her again to show his appreciation, "You are the best Sakura-chan."

Sakura just laughed amusedly, "It's your reward for being so brave during testing," happy to see his childlike persona when confronted with his much-loved ramen.

While he was slurping his ramen, Sakura spread the map of training ground where the test would be conducted, "Okay, let's start this session."

Before she could say anything further, Naruto interrupted her after swallowing a mouth full of ramen, "Do you have the map of the whole village?"

Sakura nodded her head, "Yeah, I have the whole village mapped out along with various underground pathways as well."

Naruto smiled, pleasantly surprised and impressed, "Roots as well?"

Sakura smirked with a slight upturn of her lips, "Everything Naruto. I even have the rotating locations for the barrier squad."

Well damn, colour him impressed. With such an extensive collection of map of the whole village they would be able to plan for the future quite comprehensively. It would prevent unnecessary problems of others finding out before they were ready to reveal their plot, "Sakura-chan, you are the best."

Looking at the maps he muttered, "This will make life much easier," then looking at her he asked, "There was no suspicion?"

Sakura replied with a shake of her head, "I haven't had a problem. Might be because of my status as Tsunade-sama's apprentice but I don't think anyone was able to find out."

Once, Naruto finished with his ramen, he went back to the kitchen to put the salad bowl into the sink for washing up later. He was grateful that Sakura made a lot of ramen for him knowing his appetite. And the salad bowl was big enough for him to feel full for now.

Coming back into the strategy room or more precisely the dining room Naruto sniggered, he leaned over the map of the training ground, "Okay, Sakura-chan, take it away."

Pointing towards the wooden stumps that were found in the ground, Sakura continued, "First let's start with what I have already spread out."

"Around the stumps there are various caltrops, kunai, shuriken, ninja wire and maces spread out to a radius of about 25 metres," Sakura made a circle to indicate the circumference on the map.

Naruto nodded at that knowing that the various weapons were probably sealed, "What's the seal matrix made of?" Because unless he knew what materials were used for the seal matrix he would not be able to open it stealthily.

Sakura took out vial of transparent liquid to show it to him, "It's the same stuff from last time odourless, invisible and untraceable. "

Naruto nodded his head and dipped his fingers into the vial so that he would have a medium to be able to access the seals. Of course another reason was because he was mixing his DNA into the vial so that from then on he would be able to gain access to any of the seals that Sakura made and vice versa.

Making the seals was not just about the symbols but also the construct by which the seals were created. The starting material or more importantly the ink that was used was one of the fundamental aspects of seal making.

Therefore, by dipping his finger in the vial Naruto was able to absorb the liquid in his skin and make it a part of his blood. When the vial was empty he passed it back to Sakura, "Let's try it once, shall we?"

Sakura nodded and gave him a piece of paper, "What seal are you going to try?"

Naruto thought for a few seconds, "I know, check this out."

Sakura looked over his shoulder intrigued as to what seal he was making. It took him a total of thirty second to finish making the seal after cutting his finger. Once he was done he brought his hands in a ram seal, "Seal: Folding Origami."

Within two seconds the paper was folded and changed color while taking the shape of a rose. Naruto grabbed the origami flower and presented it to Sakura, "I didn't give you a present for our new life together. Sakura-chan, I know this is nothing…but as long as we are together I will give you the world." Happy to see a surprised expression on her face, letting him know that she wasn't expecting this, which made it all the more worthwhile, "Let this be a token of my promise to you until I find a suitable gift."

Sakura looked at Naruto, even though she was sitting right beside him she went and sat on his lap hugging him, "I didn't get a present for you either Naruto. But I will find it too and once I do we will exchange them at the same time."

There was nothing said for a few second just two people deeply in love with each other. Even after all the time that they were together it was the little things like this that gave them pleasure. It was a security blanket for both of them to know that they were there for each other. So, they were enjoying each other's company before the task at hand disrupted them once more.

Giving him one last peck on the lips, Sakura got off Naruto's lap and moved back to her seat; looking at him once more she smiled at him before getting serious, "Okay…now that the medium requirement is fulfilled. Let's move on to the next area of assortment."

Sakura then pointed at the tress behind the training ground, "Here I have basically spread the same weapons mentioned earlier, except there are various poisons ranging from nerve, optic and the like that are spread out as well."

Pointing to a drawing of a leaf Sakura continued, "If you want to access them you have to unseal them through the leaves. These are peculiar leaves because even if you see the midrib, when you touch them you won't feel it."

Sakura then pointed towards the veins of the leaf, "In a hurry though just count the number of veins, if there are 10 then that will be the one."

Naruto frowned, while examining the leaf in his hand, "Sakura-chan? There are no other leaves with 10 veins there?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, it is not the right time, so the leaves are still young."

Naruto nodded while memorizing the peculiarities of the pattern, "Okay how harmful are the poisons though and what's the rate of spread?"

Sakura unsealed a scroll from her wrist and presented it to Naruto, "They are not harmful per se….just painful in the short term…extremely painful, unless they are not treated on time," Sakura continued showing him the seal for the spread of the poisons.

Naruto sweat dropped, hearing Sakura's description of the poisons not being harmful, shaking his head he looked at the seal and seemed satisfied, "So the speed is variable. That makes it easier." Then he looked at Sakura and raised his eyebrow, "Didn't that take longer to setup?"

Sakura nodded, "It took me 7 nights working intermittently between shifts. I started when you told me that you were at the border of Hi no kuni."

Naruto turned his eyes back to the map of the training ground, and pointed towards the symbols that were spread out throughout the whole area, "So what are these?"

When Sakura looked at the seals that Naruto was pointing at she smiled knowing that once he knew what it contained he would barely be able to control himself, "Those my dear husband are chakra transmitters."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at her surprised, then his whole face lit up just as Sakura knew it would because this would ensure that Uzumaki Naruto would kick Hatake Kakashi's ass all over the training field, "Sakura-chan?"

Once she nodded Naruto leapt out of his chair and grabbed Sakura by her waist to twirl her around, "You are the best Sakura-chan. I don't even know how you were able to do this because this seal is tedious as hell."

He knew how she had done it of course. It wasn't her knowledge that he was questioning, no it was the time requirement. During the 3 years that he was away, he was surprised, when Sakura told him that Senju Tsunade was well versed in fuuinjutsu. In hindsight, he shouldn't have been surprised considering that Uzumaki Mito was her grandmother, thus the seals might have been part of family business as well. So, he knew that Sakura had no reason to hide her knowledge once she learned everything from Tsunade.

Looking at Sakura thankfully, he made sure that she was standing on her feet before he let go of her, "Kakashi-sensei is so going down. Ohh, it is going to be a glorious day."

Sakura laughed at Naruto's happiness; it was addictive, and said "I have only been able to cover the training grounds for now. Now that you are here we can start on spreading the seal sequence, throughout the village."

Naruto nodded, "We will cover the outskirts too."

Sakura opened another scroll that was empty and titled it 'Priority', once that was underlined she put chakra transmitter underneath it, "Here is the start of the list that we know will only grow bigger as the time goes on."

Naruto agreed with her but at the moment he was just too happy to let it affect him. Sakura had just given him a great boon during the fight. The reason behind it was pretty simple. Chakra transmitter seal allowed a person's chakra to be used somewhere else where ever the seal was present. For the whole training field to be covered meant that Naruto would be able to send his chakra to any point individually or to all of them at the same time. This would tremendously help him with his genjutsu. Even though he was capable of breaking any genjutsu in the world, it was performing the art of illusion where he used to get stump. During his training he was able to perform genjutsu, however his method of performing them was a little different from the standard format.

For a person immersed in the art of illusion, the effective ability of a potent illusion comes when a person is able to inject chakra into another person and control their senses. That aptitude for sending chakra into another person requires control so that the injection of chakra is minimal and thus the other person would not be able to recognize it in time that they had been injected until the illusion took hold. For someone like Naruto, the concept of sending chakra into another person was clear enough but problem occurred when he couldn't make it small enough for the other person to not be able to detect it.

Thus, the solution to his problem that he could come up with was to surround the opponent in a haze of chakra. Basically he would saturate the air with his chakra and thus trick the opponent by overpowering their senses by his chakra onslaught before trapping them in the illusion.

With chakra transmitters he would not require his clones to saturate the air with chakra, so the chances of Kakashi-sensei finding out his location and ability would decrease significantly.

Still beaming with joy, Naruto sat back down on his seat and looked at Sakura, "Is there anything else Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled at his pleased expression and shook her head, "Other than the random release of optic poison to deter his Sharingan, I think we have covered everything else."

Naruto nodded his head and took Sakura's hand in his to rub his thumb on the back of her palm, "I think that's more than good enough. Seems almost overkill for such a little test doesn't it?"

Sakura closed her eyes in bliss, the sensations from his hand sending pleasure throughout the arm, "It's required for shock and awe. This is to prove a point and I can't think of a better way than to thoroughly dominate the test."

Naruto agreed with her reasoning, so he listened, "Of course, we need to be aware that we are fighting against Hatake Kakashi. The man is not known as one of the top Jounin of Konoha for nothing."

Once again Naruto agreed with her and emphatically moved his head up and down, "Yeah, he was also dad's student so we will have to be on our toes the whole time."

Yes, they were going against a fierce opponent, Sakura thought, so we need to be at the top of our game because if we give him any chance of gaining ground on us he would not back down and so the best option was for them to take him down quickly.

Reaching the same vein of thinking as Sakura, Naruto asked, "So, have you thought about how quickly you want the fight to finish?"

Still feeling his thumb rubbing the back of her palm, Sakura focused on the problem at hand, "I think that finishing the test in less than 15 minutes would be better."

Naruto tilted his head back on the chair so that he could stare at the ceiling, "15 minutes huh?" Thinking some more on it Naruto decided that it was the right amount of time to showcase their abilities, while stopping Kakashi from figuring out the whole show.

Sakura nodded and started to speak in what Naruto defined as her lecture mode, "Kakashi-sensei has three things going for him. One is of course the Sharingan, second is his intelligence and third is his sense of smell, which is further emphasized by his dog summons. These three things are crucial for us to trick in order to finish before giving the game away."

Naruto just listened and hummed quietly in agreement, "Okay then, I know the lay of the land. Let's start planning the battle shall we?"

Sakura smiled since it was time. She had been waiting for this planning session for quite some time. It reminded her of old times when both of them along with Shikamaru would plan for things. So reminiscing of the times past while concentrating on the present Naruto and Sakura got about working on the plan.

* * *

><p>***OMT****<p>

At precisely, 12 O' clock in the afternoon, Hatake Kakashi arrived at the training field with a ready excuse on the tip of his tongue regarding his chronic lateness. Waiting for his students to unleash the barrage of accusations, regarding his late arrival he was surprised to find a toad his size, which turned even more bizarre when a slug jumped on top of the toad's head, though she was just as tall.

Of course nothing beat the surprising, "You are late!" from both of the creatures.

And the only thing Hatake Kakashi could do was stand around blinking before he got his mental abilities under control and asked, "Where are my students?"

The toad shrugged the slug of his shoulders and started cleaning out his ear irritably, "I don't know, where they went. All we were told was that we had to stand here and wait for you to utter that line."

Kakashi could see tick marks forming on the top of the toad's head, "Though, Naruto-nii didn't tell me that I would have to stand in the sun for three goddamn hours."

Raising his head to the sky, the toad shouted, "I will get you for this Naruto-nii. See if I help you out in the future," looking at his webbed feet he cried a little, "I have sun-burn dammit…," then getting his spunk back he declared, "You are going down, you hear me?"

Kakashi sweat dropped, upon hearing the summons's predicament. Naruto is the only person in the world whose summon creatures were just as over the top as him.

"Gamakichi-kun, man up," the slug said in her regal voice, "A little sun-burn is nothing compared to the honour of completing the mission given to you by your summoner."

Gamakichi looked at the slug, who was the Slug chief's daughter and next in line to be the chief of the Slug clan, "Easy for you to say Katsu-chan," while crying rivers of tears, he continued, "Your summoner took care of you and you can even heal yourself."

Interrupting the pity party, Naruto and Sakura arrived at the scene, "Sorry we are late," both said at the same time.

Kakashi sweat dropped once more, "Yes, I can see..."

Before he could say anything else, Naruto continued, "You see we were coming here early but then this old lady decided to cross our path. Usually this wouldn't have been a problem but she had a black cat with her, so we had to go around the village in order to avoid getting jinxed."

Not missing a step, with a smirk on her face, Sakura looked straight at Kakashi, "Then when we were passing by the hot springs, we found this old pervert that we just had to put down."

Kakashi took a step back as he had a very good idea, which pervert she was talking about but before he could say anything, Naruto started back up, "When we were nearing the training grounds, I started feeling hungry, which course meant back tracking and going to the Gods of ramen," he said with reverence in his voice.

Before Sakura could start her monologue, Kakashi interrupted her, "Okay…I get it," crying a little on the inside, "You guys were much cuter, when you were younger."

Right then Sakura stood straighter and turned her head at an angle, "Hmm, did you say something?"

Watching Kakashi's stunned face before he started crying about how his students gave him no respect, Naruto and Sakura burst out laughing. Naruto had tears in his tears watching Kakashi's expression. It wasn't anywhere near his best pranks but this one had a different kind of feel to it. To get back at Kakashi using his own excuses, provided a perfect way to shut him up or at least embarrass him to make better excuses next time.

Still sniggering both Naruto and Sakura raised their hands, "Yo," which further dissolved in chuckles.

Taking the good natured hazing in style and seemingly proud of his students, "Okay, that was good. Now that you have had your fun, it's time I had my own."

Still smirking Naruto looked at Kakashi, "Are you sure Kakashi-sensei? We might just surprise you again?"

Hearing that Kakashi eye-smiled, "I am not one to be taken by surprise twice in the same day, Naruto."

Shaking her head, while chuckling, Sakura smiled at Kakashi, "Then it seems we have to show the old dog some new tricks, don't we sensei?"

Before he could respond to Sakura's taunt, Kakashi felt it was prudent to point towards the summons, especially the toad that looked pissed off, "Umm…guys as fun as this is for me, you might want to deal with your summons first."

Naruto and Sakura turned around to see the problem, and saw a pissed off Gamakichi who looked ready to skewer Naruto, what with his webbed limb tightly gripping his tanto.

Naruto slowly stepped in front of the toad, "Woah, easy there fella. I didn't forget about you," taking out a big bag, which was half the size of Gamakichi, from a scroll, he dropped it in front of him, "See, as promised a bag full of candy…just for you."

Gamakichi drooled just thinking about all the candy he had in front of him, quickly pulling the bag behind him he bellowed, "Ya, well, this doesn't mean that I forgive you alright?" Getting angry once more, he shouted, "because of you I got sun-burned."

Naruto's eye twitched at the stupid reason, "You are bitching about a stupid sun-burn? What kind of summon are you if you are just going to bitch about stuff like this every time huh?"

Before the summoner and summon could go any further in their argument, Sakura who had finished giving Katsuya, her summon, the gift that she promised so that they would be informed when Kakashi arrived, stepped up to Gamakichi and activated 'Shosen no jutsu', "Don't worry Gamakichi-kun, I will heal your sun-burn right now."

Sighing in relief from Sakura's healing, Gamakichi bowed, "Thank you Sakura-san. Katsu-chan is lucky to have you as her summoner," before giving Naruto an evil eye, "unlike some people who apparently don't care."

Getting angry, Naruto replied, "Oh yeah…then give the candy back. See if I call you next time you are bored," before muttering under his breath, "stupid Kichi, lazy ass punk."

Before it could escalate any further, Kakashi interrupted the duo from verbal attacks on each other, "Okay then…seeing as Gamakichi has been healed, I think it's time we started our test."

Sakura nodded and thanked Katsuya for helping her before sending her home, then turning around she started walking towards the training ground, "Yes, let's go get this started."

Naruto turned around to walk to the training ground as well, waving his hand lazily in the air, without looking back, "Later Kichi."

Showing his maturity, Gamakichi yelled, "Kick nii-san ass, Kakashi-san," before quickly dispelling to avoid Naruto's retaliation.

Kakashi just shook his head and chuckled to himself regarding Naruto's unique summon, though if he was honest with himself, Gamakichi's personality was just like its summoner.

* * *

><p>***OMT****<p>

One they arrived at the training ground, Kakashi saw both of his students looking around, "Looks familiar?"

Naruto smirked while staring at Kakashi, "Hehe, you bet Kakashi-sensei," though he was trying to remember the last time they had been at the training ground together like this and came up with nothing.

Sakura was eyeing the training ground trying to look for any lose ends in their preparation. Seeming satisfied she turned back to Kakashi, before shrugging, "It's the same as before."

Kakashi eye smiled in the unchanged cognizant way as always, "Not the people though."

Shrugging once more Sakura started putting her gloves on her hands, "Were you expecting anything different?"

Kakashi ceded the point, nodding his head, "That's true," taking a deep breath he stood straighter seemingly changing into serious mode, "Okay then…the rules are the same as before…Take the two bells from me before sunrise tomorrow."

Staring straight at his students to show his seriousness, he continued "Come at me with intent to kill…otherwise you won't be able to succeed."

At hearing those words, Naruto just smirked, "You shouldn't have said that Kakashi-sensei," and looked at Sakura.

Continuing where Naruto left off Sakura finished the words, "we are going to make you regret those words."

Kakashi just smiled, raising his hand to move the headband in order to unleash the Sharingan, while looking at Naruto and Sakura and saw them staring at each other. Uncovering the Sharingan in the left eye, Kakashi was surprised to find himself ensnared in an illusion. Breaking the genjutsu he started looking around for his students, while muttering, "I didn't even say start."

He was impressed, figuring that it was Sakura who had trapped him in the illusion; he found himself filled with pride that she was able to get the drop on him. However, before he could go any further, he observed another illusion except this time the illusion was even subtler. It wasn't anything overt, just messing with his depth perception, which was ingenious because he wasn't sure that without the Sharingan he would have been able to recognize it so easily. The best that he could observe was that the change induced would have made him miss his attack by 3 or 4 centimeters. Marvelling at the skill of the illusion; he used his Sharingan to break it once more.

Then he frowned again when he was unable to break out, 'layers.' He was surprised because layering a genjutsu was a hard skill to learn and using it in battle was something only the best of them could do, 'I wonder how many of them there are,' Kakashi thought while gathering chakra to force his Sharingan to break them apart.'

Meanwhile hiding in the trees, on the opposite ends of the training field, Naruto and Sakura were conversing telepathically. Sakura was closer to Kakashi, concealed in the trees near the entrance of the groove, while Naruto was far back waiting for the signal from Sakura.

Sakura was observing Kakashi, when he broke the first and the second illusion, once she saw him gathering chakra, she intoned through the link, "Get ready….the illusion will shatter on my mark," thus saying she moved to the back, while keeping an eye on Kakashi the whole time.

Naruto was standing in the back of the groove away from Kakashi waiting for Sakura's signal. The plan was simple enough, in order to saturate the air with his chakra he had to release it into the seals. However, if he was close, than Kakashi would be able to pinpoint his location just from the sheer output of chakra, so he was standing away from the action, for now.

If anyone else would have observed him, they would have found a person hiding quietly in one place but Naruto was counting the time. It seemed to take forever from his point of view, when it was only a few seconds in reality but that was one of the downsides of using the tick. The brain was processing information at a very fast rate but to the person it appeared as if time itself had slowed down.

Before he could think any further, he heard Sakura's voice, when she shouted "Mark," through the link. Forming the ram seal quickly, Naruto released all the chakra he had gathered in one move before leaving the hiding spot, and said excitedly through the link, "Phase I complete…initiating phase 2."

Moving closer to the front of the groove to keep an eye on their opponent, he used the seals embedded on the leaves with 10 veins to quickly release a barrage of shuriken and kunai at Kakashi's back, while informing Sakura, "He is turning around."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

As soon as he released the chakra in order to break all the layers of the illusion, Kakashi found himself surrounded by a haze of chakra. Before, he could even register the disbelief within himself at the sheer amount of chakra saturating the air; he heard the sound of weapons in the air. Knowing the barrage was coming for him; when he turned around he was able to discern the various weapons like kunai, shuriken and maces that were coming towards him, he deadpanned "They must have taken my words to heart. Seems like they are seriously trying to kill me."

Moving back, he jumped out of the way of the weapons before he found himself trapped, "Another illusion?" Breaking this one easily, he felt another onslaught of illusion, 'What's this?' he frowned, 'I can feel the chakra invading my system, is this Naruto?' before he released the illusion once more.

Through the trees Naruto saw Kakashi, getting irritated, though of course he didn't show it in any expression on his face, it was just the rate at which he saw Kakashi breaking his illusions apart, 'Keep going Kakashi sensei….Please expel a little more of your chakra,' he thought to himself while chuckling silently, "Sakura-chan, he is in position."

Sakura moved silently through the trees, her eyes looking everywhere. She was looking around to make sure that Kakashi had not bested them and hid somewhere else. They were shinobi after all fighting dirty was a job requirement. Not finding anything odd with the surrounding environment, she sighed, "Naruto, he is the real one; I don't sense anyone else around."

Receiving the nod from the other end, Sakura started to sink underground, before she uttered, "I am in position."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Kakashi was moving around in circles, he could feel it but the onslaught of illusions wouldn't end. He had tried everything, he could think of; the Sharingan was able to see through the illusions and break it, he was able to stop the flow of his chakra and break the illusion, he was able to expel the chakra and break the illusion, heck he had even cut his palms to use pain to break the illusion and he was successfully able to break the genjutsu each and every time. But the air was saturated with so much chakra that even when he stopped one illusion another took its place.

He had figured out that it was Naruto who was doing this due to the potency of the chakra and he was so proud that it was hard for him to even speak. This was his student who was supposed to have no talent for genjutsu and yet here he was using it and keeping him occupied even with the Sharingan on, 'Naruto, you have grown so much,' though he had to chuckle to himself as only Naruto could come up with illusions that would annoy the heck out of his opponent. The concept was similar to the clones that Naruto was so fond of using, each and every illusion acted as a clone. Once, one was dispelled another took its place without fail.

The only reason that Naruto was able to trap him in illusions over and over again was because of the chakra surrounding him that was able to invade him again and again, "Okay then, time to show them how it's done," Kakashi muttered, while making the hand seals for dispersing the chakra.

In the meantime, behind the three stumps in the training field, Sakura's head slowly emerged out of the ground. This was a delicate step as she did not want Kakashi's attention on herself until she was fully out of the ground. As her hands surfaced, her left hand stayed on the ground, while the right hand formed a hand seal. She was crouching as the rest of her body emerged from underground.

This was a critical moment, if their plan was to be successful then the next few seconds were absolutely vital. As if it was clockwork, while keeping an eye on Kakashi, she saw him start to form hand seals; recognizing them instantly, she shouted through the link, "Futon...Dispersal!"

Nothing more needed to be said. Sakura moved her right hand in an arc in front of her and sent a fire attack towards Kakashi, which was followed by the release of shuriken and kunai through the seals imprinted in the ground. Moving away from the spot quickly, she sunk underground.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Hatake Kakashi was flying through the air, he was bloody, his clothes were burnt and he had just had his bones thoroughly rattled. He was sure if he didn't have the experiences that he had accumulated throughout his years as a shinobi he would have been dead. This test was turning out to be an eye-opener on many levels. After the onslaught of genjutsu attacks, he guessed that it was time for ninjutsu. But he had lost the opening gambit already.

His plan was simple enough; he was going to use a futon jutsu to disperse the chakra surrounding him and then hide to get a little reprieve from the genjutsu attack. However, as soon as he released the wind attack, there was a fire attack in front of him. And it was fast enough that he had a hard time keeping track of it with his Sharingan, while at the same time denying him the chance to use a replacement technique.

Kakashi's eye was wide; still in shock as he thought, _'What the heck was that?'_ He was shouting in his mind trying to come up with an answer, _'That speed, it should be impossible for a fire attack to be that fast.'_

He could understand if it was a lightning attack, but the sheer velocity of the attack stumped him. Fire attacks relied more on power than speed, since it was the ruthlessness of fire that was utilized in a ninjutsu attack and in all his years he had never seen anyone use a fire attack that was so fast. However, the most surprising part of the attack was the end result, Kakashi thought, still in absolute awe of the hit, _'My own attack was used against me...'_ shaking his head from side to side, he realized he was still shivering from the intensity of the attack, _'Over burn…the fire attack was overpowered by my wind attack but since it was packed so densely, it created an explosion.'_

Though, it wasn't the explosion itself that hurt him; no he was able to coat his body with chakra to save him from the devastating effects of the fire. It was the shockwave after the explosion that from what he could feel cracked his ribs, injured his right lung, and created other internal injuries. He knew he was bleeding on the inside but the sad part was that he didn't know who attacked him, _'I know the attack came from behind the tree stumps but before I knew it, I was airborne due to the explosion.'_

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

When Naruto saw Kakashi go flying in the air from the explosion, he exclaimed to himself, _'HOLY SHIT!'_ even though he knew the plan and was ready for something like this to occur, it was still a breath-taking attack, _'It's not over yet sensei…try not to die in the next one as well.'_

Moving quickly, he arrived a little ways away from where Kakashi would land, in order to avoid being seen. Making the hand seals he used the 10 vein leaves to release the ninja wires towards Kakashi to trap him. Moving his right hand away from the seal, while the left hand was still in position, Naruto quickly threw a kunai at Kakashi before leaving the area, while informing Sakura through the link, "Phase 2 complete…"

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

While in the air Kakashi saw himself surrounded by ninja wire, however before he could retaliate he was pierced by shuriken in the abdomen and both the thighs, _'Dammit…this came from the same place as the tree stumps…must have been in the shadow of the fire attack.'_ Suddenly, hearing a kunai whizzing through the air at his back, Kakashi turned around in mid-air to deflect the metal, when he came face to face with Naruto, _'Must have been in a henge,'_ Kakashi thought, while looking at the smoke surrounding Naruto, otherwise he would have been able to sense him.

Taking out his own kunai from the holster, he parried Naruto's attack, getting a cut on the arm for his trouble. Not letting the opportunity pass, he twisted in the air once more to throw a shuriken at Naruto's back, dispelling him in the process. Looking around him once, he quickly replaced himself with the trusty logs to avoid getting tangled in the ninja wire.

Quickly throwing a smoke screen to hide his presence Hatake Kakashi vanished.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Hiding behind the tree stumps, Uzumaki Naruto was quickly drawing a seal on the palm of his left hand, "Sakura-chan, he is marked," he informed his partner through the link.

Sending feelings of exhilaration at hearing those words through the connection, Sakura asked, "How long till the seal is ready?"

Concentrating on the task at hand, Naruto replied quickly, "Just 10 more seconds, dattebayo."

Calming herself down, Sakura kept a lookout for Kakashi's position, through the trees, while keeping Naruto in her line of sight. Transmitting reassuring feelings towards Naruto, through their link, "Take your time. We almost have him."

Of course that wasn't true. As long as a ninja was alive and able to plan the next move, you never have him anywhere but the situation required a little bit more tact. Once, Naruto completed the seal they would be able to pinpoint Kakashi's location, however before that happened they had to finish deploying the seal that would work in conjunction with the mark that Naruto left on Kakashi in the previous attack.

In order to calm Naruto down through their link because 10 seconds to a person who was using the tick seemed like hours, especially when the work involved detailed construction of a seal, Sakura broadcasted the abundance of love that she felt for him. She could feel it working before she heard, "It's done Sakura-chan.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura calmed herself as well, "What's his position?"

Activating the seal, Naruto could feel the line of chakra exposing Kakashi's hiding spot, already on the move from his position Naruto exclaimed with self-satisfaction through the bond, "He is underground…100 metres to the east."

As soon as she heard the words Sakura jumped high into the air, gathering chakra in her right hand, before she unleashed the monstrous strength that was a staple of her master, while smashing the ground to pieces. Smirking slightly at his surprised expression, Sakura looked straight at Kakashi, "Enjoyed your rest, sensei?"

Kakashi was stunned, heck he was scared. Naruto and Sasuke might have been the powerhouses on the team in their earlier days but Sakura was ferocious, at least towards others who were not Uchiha Sasuke. So, for Kakashi to see his only female student smirk with self-satisfaction, gave him absolute shivers. Why exactly Hokage-sama had decided to teach her student this monstrous strength of hers was something that he was unable to say.

Another thing that was bugging him was her peculiar movement. Earlier as well when he was fighting Naruto, he saw the absolutely smooth… in a sense the almost mechanical way his head turned. It was disturbing and hypnotising to watch at the same time. When Sakura raised her eyes to meet his, her head tilted with a metered precision of a controlled self-contained kunai turret, snapping to the exact angle with a viperish speed. If he was honest with himself it was similar to a trance except everything was precisely calculated. The worst part was that his Sharingan couldn't predict the next move by looking at them. It was like they had so much control over their body that the next set of move didn't need to be telegraphed, which was supposed to be impossible.

However, before he could say anything in retaliation, he sensed Naruto's arrival behind him but he was unable to turn around because he was boxed in…literally.

'What the heck?' Kakashi thought frantically. He couldn't move anything on his body, there was not enough space, not even to contort.

Sakura looked at Kakashi trying to exert pressure on various areas of the body, most probably to twist his body enough to get some level of movement, "Don't waste your time trying to contort, Kakashi-sensei. It's useless."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement but Kakashi was unable to see this, "Sensei, the barrier is in the shape of your body…contortion won't help."

Not giving Kakashi anymore time to think, because a thinking Kakashi was a dangerous Kakashi, Naruto changed the hand seal and the barrier started sparking with lightning. Thirty seconds later when they found Kakashi conscious though barely hanging on, Naruto frowned, that last attack should have made him unconscious. Anymore and it will be dangerous.

Sakura saw Naruto's worried expression and knew he didn't want to hurt Kakashi anymore. She felt her heart fill with pride because even after all this time, their age and all the wars that they had fought, lived and survived...likely longer than anyone else, Naruto had never let go of his noble streak. His empathy for other was still a major part of him, along with his desire to protect the treasured friends and family that he had created around him, whether they were the people in his previous life or will be in this one. It hurt him as well when he electrocuted Kakashi but Sakura knew Kakashi could take it and it's not like they were trying to permanently harm him or something, "Naruto, you have to up the ante. He won't go down with that little jolt. After all, lightning is his element," Sakura said telepathically.

Naruto hesitated for a second before he turned the attack up a little more. It was nowhere near its full power but it should be enough to make him go unconscious, 'Please Kakashi-sensei, just stay down, you-' before he could finish his thought he saw something that was shocking in its brutality and absurd given the reason behind it.

Hatake Kakashi was feeling pissed off; it was safe to say that more than anything in the world, he wanted to kick himself to the ground. Throughout the test, he had been defending, there was simply nothing more to it. He personally had not done a single attack that these two were not able to counter. And now he was trapped in a barrier without the use of his arms and legs and on top of that he was being electrocuted alive.

Not wanting to give Naruto and Sakura an easy win, he wanted to set an example to show them that even when the chips were against you, you just had to think outside the box or look underneath the underneath. If he couldn't even do that much then he wasn't much of a sensei. So, with that thought in mind, Hatake Kakashi, activated chidori inside the barrier.

Sakura was looking at Kakashi with apprehension. It was foolishness on Kakashi's part to activate chidori, especially inside the barrier. His right arm had no room to move; considering it was trapped near his thighs, it meant that Kakashi was burning his right thigh. Her mouth must have been opened with clear disbelief because she saw Kakashi chuckle through the pain. Narrowing her eyes, she sensed her surrounding, checking to see if the Kakashi they had captured was a clone, though the burning in his leg was an example to the contrary. Finding nothing, she tried to think of the next plan of attack if he was really able to get out of the barrier. This was supposed to be the coup de grace of their plan, of course they had backup plans as well but they would take time to setup and already they were pushing the 12 minute mark.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto was standing still behind Kakashi, holding the seal sequence for the lightning attack, when all of a sudden Kakashi started the chidori directing the lightning from the barrier into his right hand. Naruto was not surprised that Kakashi was able to think of something unorthodox. No, what did surprise him was the dislocation of his right shoulder.

Suddenly he heard Sakura's shout in his mind, "He knows of the seal's placement!" reacting instantly Naruto dropped the barrier to disorient Kakashi before he was able to reach it with his fingers. Finding the opening, when Kakashi stumbled he moved quickly to intercept before he could get away.

At the last second he saw a faint outline of chakra from Kakashi, signifying his success at replacing himself with a clone, before stabbing the clone in the back to remove the distraction. With the clearing empty, Naruto found himself back to back with Sakura. Since, they didn't know what Kakashi was going to do it was better to stick together.

Both of them had their senses wide open, looking to sense anything from movement, to chakra signature. In the meantime, both of them kept moving around especially in circles to keep a lookout for the whole area, while watching each other's backs.

Naruto was looking at the groove of trees, "Front portion of the forest...clear," He spoke through the link to keep the lines of communication open.

Sakura was looking towards the jutting rocks, where she had smashed her fist, "West ground…clear."

Turning towards the three stumps, Naruto kept watch, "Entrance…clear," while Sakura looked towards the small river and narrowed her eyes, "12'O clock my time."

Quickly turning around, Naruto send a blast of wind in the direction Sakura specified, while sending a clone behind it to investigate. Of course, he could have peppered the area with clones, or Sakura could have decimated everything and cleared out the area but that wasn't the point of this little test.

Both of them were sure that Kakashi was now aware that they both could compete with him, but the game had changed with Kakashi's last manoeuvre. Now, Kakashi was testing them to see, whether they could delve into the unknown and survive.

The clone saw Kakashi try to go towards the river, so he wrapped himself in a shroud of wind chakra and sped up before landing in front of Kakashi. Looking at his sensei he noticed that the right shoulder was popped back in and he was leaning on the left leg, signifying burn injury to the right leg from chidori.

Keeping out of the range for taijutsu, Naruto taunted, "Where are you going sensei? Don't tell me you didn't like our little surprise?"

In retaliation, Kakashi appeared in front of the clone, using 'Shunshin no jutsu,' and kicked him in the face. The clone ducked under the kick before placing both hands on the ground, "Earth release: Swamp of the underworld," trying to trap Kakashi in quicksand.

However, as expected his sensei proved to be illusive when he used Kawarimi no jutsu to escape the trap. Watching him escape, Naruto saw Kakashi start forming handseals, stopping at the tiger seal, "Fire release: Great fireball," as he released the fire attack at Naruto.

Naruto used the wind release to once again speed up and side step the fireball, before he pointed his two fingers straight at Kakashi, "lightning release," shooting lightning out of his fingertips.

Kakashi twisted his body to the side to let the attack pass by, but kept his eye on Naruto the whole time. He figured this Naruto was a clone because of the distance that was being maintained and the lack of the taijutsu attack. Still, the attacks without the hand seals were throwing him off.

Using 'Shunshin no jutsu' he jumped to the top of the trees to avoid the lightning attack, however, when he looked behind him, he saw Naruto waving his hands back and forth throwing wind attacks in his direction; so using 'Kawarimi no jutsu,' he escaped to safety once more, "damn there's no end to this."

All of a sudden, Naruto saw Kakashi put his hands in a cross shape, while calling out, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

Naruto knew he would use the clone as a distraction to escape, however he wanted to cut off Kakashi from going towards the river at the back of the training field. With the amount of ninjutsu, he had used he knew there was still a lot of chakra left in him, so the clone pulled out a scroll to make a quick explosion seal. Putting as much chakra into the seal as he could, the clone saw both Kakashi's coming towards him. Knowing there was not much time left, he threw the scroll in the air and yelled, "Seal release: chakra bomb."

Kakashi's eye widened, he always knew that Naruto's clones were a little eccentric but he had no idea that they were suicidal as well. Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Kakashi abandoned his plan to go towards the rivers and quickly used, 'Shunshin no jutsu' to escape the area before he sunk underneath the ground.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto suddenly tilted his head when he felt his clone getting destroyed; he just had a feeling that this was going to be the last skirmish of the battle. Quickly analyzing the situation, he realized that before his clone dispelled, he used the last of its chakra to create another clone to find out Kakashi's location, thus having received the information, he yelled through the link, "2'O clock my time, 50 meters, underground."

Once Sakura knew the location, she pivoted on her right foot and stopped in the specified direction before extending her left hand with her palm facing upwards and lifted it up. At the same time, the earth in front of her shifted and Kakashi emerged from underneath with surprise written on his face, before he schooled his features and came head on to attack her, when he saw the position that she was in from the doton jutsu.

Before, he could come close enough to attack, Naruto and Sakura pivoted once more, and Kakashi saw Naruto, with a rasengan in the right hand and a kunai in the left; understanding his student's desire to fight head-on Kakashi smiled and created his own rasengan.

Right before they were about to clash, Kakashi stumbled from pain that raked his body. With surprise fully visible on his face, Kakashi fell face down in front of Naruto. He couldn't figure out the reason behind the pain. It felt as if his whole body was burning up and his muscles were cramping not allowing any movement.

As soon as Sakura saw Kakashi stumble behind her through the corner of her eyes, she turned around and side stepped Naruto to reach for the bells. Once she had them in her hand she threw them far away from Kakashi, before stepping up to him and turning him around on his back as he laid on the ground. Knowing the amount of poison in Kakashi's system was debilitating enough that if not treated promptly, the amount of pain would cause the mind to shut down, she started to heal him instantly.

Making sure that Kakashi's heart kept pumping and his brain received enough blood, Sakura turned to Naruto, "I need you to destroy the bells," while turning her head to point towards the bells, "they have enough poison in them to do serious harm by just touching them."

Naruto nodded and went on to do as asked. In the meantime Sakura had already removed the poison from Kakashi's body and was now healing his leg that he burned by his earlier use of chidori, "You really did a number on yourself there, Kakashi-sensei," while shaking her head in mock seriousness, "I never knew you were such a masochist."

Kakashi, once he got his breathing under control looked at Sakura and asked instead, "When did you poison the bells?"

Smiling at her sensei, she replied, "I didn't," seeing his questioning look, she elaborated, "I didn't personally poison the bells, it's just a drug I created that is sensitive to sound waves. Once, you told us the objective I used a seal to make sure it was attuned to the sound of the bells."

When Naruto came back from destroying the bells, he sat down beside Kakashi, "So, sensei, are you satisfied?"

Before answering the question, Kakashi had one of his own as he kept coming back to something that had been irking him the whole time, "The argument with Gamakichi…that was all an act right?"

Naruto just nodded his head with a smile on his face, "Yeah…"

"That was when you introduced the poison into my system…right from the beginning?" Kakashi asked Sakura.

Seeing her guilty expression was all the answer that he needed that Sakura's, "Yes, sensei," was not required. Kakashi though he was tired, just smiled at his students, "I am very proud of you both," with pride evident in his voice, he continued, "You never gave me a chance to attack. Looked underneath the underneath and used misdirection beautifully," Sighing merrily, while reminiscing about the times past Kakashi continued, "I think it's fair to say that both of you will do very well out there on your own."

Naruto just smiled at him, happy that Kakashi was able to see the point they were making. Sakura, also smiled, "Thank you Kakashi-sensei," Then getting a mischievous look on her face, she reminded Kakashi, "Though what did we tell you before? Do you regret your words now?"

Kakashi just chuckled conceding the point, "Getting the two of you after me and giving you permission to try to kill me nearly did me in. I think I have learned my lesson."

Naruto chortled, raising his hands in the air, "Woohoo!" Looking down at Kakashi he persisted, "What do you know…you can teach an old dog, new tricks, after all."

Seeing his students delighted at their success, Kakashi was glad to note that even after the overwhelming victory, they both remained humbled, the hazing being an exception, since it was a form of release after a hard fought battle.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto and Sakura arrived at Sakura's apartment quickly, so that she could come down from the tick away from the prying eyes of the public. Once they were inside, Sakura quickly ran towards the bathroom, while Naruto closed the door and activated the seals around the house.

Naruto could hear Sakura retching in the toilet her body going through tearing spams of nausea. It was a very violent procedure and it occurred after every use of the tick. The seal placed in the brain would allow a counter agent to be dissolved in the bloodstream which would then involve the spasm inducing nausea among various other things. Basically, Sakura made sure that the body didn't get addicted to the tick, physically or mentally and her idea of stopping that was the side effect where at the end of the session the person would feel as if their stomach had been brutally turned inside and out.

He had already had his chance at vomiting at the training ground, when Sakura directed him to destroy the bell. She knew that with the tick in their system, the way they talked, walked and looked at the world was different. So, Kakashi would have asked some questions that they were not yet ready to answer. He already knew that Kakashi was suspicious; there was no doubt in his mind, which was fine with both of them for now at least.

So, to save themselves the trouble, Sakura had sent him off, to get down from the tick away from Kakashi's eyes, while she herself had used her medical jutsu to delay the effects of coming down from the tick induced haze. However, she was now paying the price, as her body was wracked with pain, with twice the intensity. Once, he heard the lack of vomiting, he arrived in the bathroom and saw Sakura just lying on the floor moaning in pain.

Gently picking her up, he carried her from the bathroom to the living room floor before making her lie down. He went to the kitchen to grab a jug of water, along with an empty garbage bin. Arriving in the living room, he lifted Sakura's head, "Sakura-chan, just rinse your mouth, it will make you feel better."

Slowly opening her eyes, Sakura took a gulp of water before spitting it in the garbage bin. After rinsing her mouth 3 or 4 more time, Naruto made her lie down, while keeping her head on his lap. He gently rubbed her forehead and sat with her showing his support. Slowly, Sakura drifted off to sleep with Naruto keeping watch as always; after all it was his duty to take care of her in sickness or health, through this world or the next.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Senju Tsunade was sitting at her desk talking to her old teammate Jiraiya, when she heard a knock on the door. Giving permission, to whoever was on the other side to enter, she was surprised to find Kakashi in her office. Looking around she saw that Jiraiya was just as surprised though he seemed to have expected an outcome similar to this from what she saw of his expression. Looking at the time she noted that it was 25 minutes past 12, which meant that either Kakashi started the test early or Naruto and Sakura had just beaten Sharingan no Kakashi in less than half an hour.

Raising her eyebrow, Tsunade exclaimed, "I wasn't expecting you this early Kakashi," leaning forward a little, she narrowed her eyes, "you did give your students the test right? Don't tell me you were later than usual?"

Kakashi sighed, "I wish Hokage-sama," before exhaling some air, "it would have made things much easier."

Jiraiya chuckled boisterously, "So you were beaten were you?"

With a proverbial raincloud on his head, Kakashi answered, "20 minutes…" shaking his head in disbelief, he repeated, "20 minutes, that's all it took them to beat me."

Tsunade raised the other eyebrow in surprise, "And how were they?"

Looking Tsunade straight in the eyes, Kakashi asked, "If you would allow me, I can show the battle to both of you.

Tsunade and Jiraiya both knew that Kakashi was talking about using the Sharingan to weave a genjutsu of the battle. It would allow each of them to see the progress and assess the skill level.

Though Kakashi was sure that both the sannin just wanted to see how their students faired against someone whom they hadn't fought in a while. Seeing them nod to give him permission, he lifted his hitae-ate to reveal his Sharingan.

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><p>***OMT**<p>

Once they finished viewing the battle and came out of the genjutsu, both teammates looked impressed with what they had witnessed. Naruto and Sakura had shown a keen mind, they were able to plan together very well and were able to keep their cool when the situation went away from them.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya in puzzlement; something had been bugging her since she saw it in the genjutsu, "Since when can Naruto perform genjutsu?"

Jiraiya just looked at Tsunade with a shit eating grin on his face, "Surprising huh? The kid is stubborn as a mule," looking like a proud parent Jiraiya continued, "even when I told him it was impossible, he didn't back down and now look. He was giving Kakashi fits," he laughed.

"Though, I have to say Tsunade-hime, you seriously remodelled that girl after you," Jiraiya shook his head in amusement, "even taught her that monstrous strength of yours."

Tsunade smirked, pride on Sakura's performance evident on her face, "She is ready to surpass me Jiraiya. From what we saw I think it's safe to say that she has been experimenting on her own as is required to reach our rank."

Kakashi knew what they were talking about, "That movement, you were not aware of it before this?"

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya shook their heads, while Kakashi frowned, thinking about that weird movement. It was strange to say the least because not only was the movement absolutely smooth and precise, it was so much so that the Sharingan's usual ability of predicting an attack seemed useless against it.

Kakashi was broken out of his reverie, when Tsunade spoke, "It's probably Sakura's doing. I knew she was experimenting on the side with seals but I was unaware that she was making new drugs as well."

Jiraiya eyed Tsunade, "That new drug that she created, getting attracted to sound…has some serious potential."

Tsunade nodded her head in agreement, "Agreed, but I am more interested in the drug that created that peculiar movement."

Kakashi knit your brow in confusion, "Are you sure, it's a drug Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi questioned, continuing before he could be interrupted, "Because Naruto was able to move similarly."

Tsunade bobbed her head up and down, "I am pretty sure. When you looked at the movement, you saw how quickly they turned their heads, and eyes around. It was as if everything around them was in slow motion but in real time." She mumbled while thinking about it, "I can think of several dozen chemicals that could give that sensation, however the side effects that they have are harmful to say the least."

Kakashi didn't know what to think, he had never thought that one of his student's would be able to surpass him so quickly let alone two. If Tsunade-sama was right than Sakura had even found a drug that was effective in negating one of the abilities of the Sharingan, "That drug has some serious potential, Hokage-sama. It was able to negate the prediction ability."

Tsunade shook her head, "To me it just seems like a side effect Kakashi. If I am right then the drug allows the brain to speed up the thought process, of course their reaction time is increased as well, but it won't enhance what's not already there."

Seeing a look of understanding on Kakashi's face, Tsunade lectured, "I know that during the past three years Sakura had worked on her physical condition every single day. The same is true for Naruto. They both have a solid base, which means the improved reaction time and concentration with the drug basically allows them time to react with ample control, so unlike the rest of us they don't project their moves."

Thinking about the explanation, Kakashi asked, "The Sharingan, also provides improved reaction time, at least in the sense that a person is able to see and react better, but even Uchiha projected their moves. So, what's different about Naruto and Sakura?

Jiraiya interrupted before Tsunade could answer, "It's different Kakashi, because a Sharingan user has to consciously think of the attack as they are looking at the opponent. Whereas, Naruto and Sakura were not thinking about their movements consciously…It was more like they were on auto-pilot.

Looking at Tsunade thinking deeply about her student's achievement, Jiraiya shook his head in mirth, "Tsunade-hime, you have created a true kunoichi in her. So, much so that she is mysterious even to her own teacher."

Tsunade agreed with Jiraiya's reasoning but then teased him back good naturedly, "Look who is talking," while pointing towards Kakashi, "Naruto or at least his clone went against Kakashi in ninjutsu and didn't allow him to copy anything," thinking back to the battle in fond memory, Tsunade remarked, "Three elements…wind, lightning, and earth."

Even Kakashi was impressed, "Yeah, able to use 3 elements and he is only 16."

Before Kakashi could continue his monologue, Jiraiya interrupted, "You are both wrong," Looking at their confused expressions he elaborated, "I know for a fact that Naruto can use all 5 elements with various levels of usability."

Seeing their surprised expression, he continued, "I am telling you that kid is a juggernaut," looking at Kakashi he continued, "From what I saw if they wanted to they could literally have killed you, especially when you were trapped."

Tsunade nodded with Jiraiya's statement, "I know for a fact that if you were an enemy, Sakura would have killed you in that fire attack."

Kakashi's eye widened, "Really?" though he remained highly sceptical. Watching Tsunade dip her head, he frowned, "how?"

Tsunade closed her eyes, knowing the next statement would surprise both shinobi in front of her, "I know that Sakura has really good control over fire and water."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow in surprise, "Opposites?"

Tsunade got up from her chair and moved towards the window overlooking the village, "That's not the surprising part Jiraiya," turning around, she looked him straight in the eyes, "It's the level of control that she has regarding the elements. I will say it's probably on par with Sarutobi sensei's and my granduncle, Senju Tobirama."

Jiraiya was shocked; this was the same girl who three years ago tied with the Yamanaka in an embarrassing match during the Chuunin exams. She had no overall ability then but somehow in three years she was able to reach a level where Senju Tsunade, the foremost expert on medical ninjutsu endorsed her to be her successor. So, Jiraiya thought, she is not only good at medical ninjutsu her elemental abilities are also on par. Also, he saw her using Earth elemental release as well, which meant that she was already working on her third element.

"Also, like Naruto she can use elements without hand seals with varying levels of manipulation," looking pleased with her student's success, Tsunade smiled cheerily.

"Tsunade, that girl is damn impressive," shaking his head in bemusement, he continued, "I thought Naruto was a one of a kind, maybe both of them are just two of a kind."

Looking at Tsunade he saw her questioning look, "3 years ago, she was basically useless…cannon fodder to say the least, but now…" Nothing more needed to be said.

Nodding her head, Tsunade went back towards her seat, once seated she folded her hands in front of her, "Looking at the evidence, I think it's clear to say that both of them are ready to tackle missions of high calibre," eyeing Jiraiya she continued, "The question is whether Naruto and by extension Sakura would be able to mix it with the Akatsuki."

Jiraiya looked back at Tsunade, "If you are asking me then with Kakashi on their team, I would say Team 7 has a really good chance to survive Akatsuki attacks."

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement, "I agree Tsunade-sama. If the two of them fight with the same level of teamwork then even Akatsuki will have a hard time capturing Naruto."

Gazing at Kakashi and Jiraiya, Tsunade ceded the point, "Hmm, I agree but I can't help but worry for the gaki," before shaking her head fondly, "Anyway, what rank do you think, Naruto should receive? For him to remain a Gennin seems like a travesty and waste of a good potential."

So, for the leaders in the annals of power of the village of Konoha, the discussion regarding Naruto and Sakura continued without knowing that the two new leaves that they thought were sprouting on the great Konoha tree, were actually two fully grown trees themselves just waiting to release their seeds out into world.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading the chapter. As I mentioned before, it is dialogue heavy and I understand it if many of you were waiting for cool awesome jutsu. I also know the pace is not fast at the moment, however, it will pick up considerably in the upcoming chapters. So please stick around. The things I am mentioning in the early chapters are important and will play a considerable role in the future; therefore I feel that they deserve to be exploited thoroughly. Hopefully, they don't take anything away from the overall enjoyment.<strong>

**Also, I know there will be people wondering why Naruto didn't use senjutsu, or other forms of rasengan or Kakashi with his dog summons etc. Remember the test was to show Naruto's and Sakura's teamwork. It wasn't about showing who could throw the biggest jutsu around. There will be more than enough fights, jutsu and smashy bits in the future. With that thought in mind, I would like to be excused to get back to the misery that is real life. So, thank you for reading the chapter and have a great day. Kyi-Ragkiril, signing out.  
><strong>


	3. Up in the World

_**Title: One More Time  
><strong>_

_**Thank you once again for the reviews. I am taking your suggestions and working with them so hopefully the story would get even better. Someone asked about Hiraishin and whether Naruto knows it or not. I thought it's better to let others know as well in case they are wondering the same thing. He knows the Hiraishin but it won't be used like Minato used it at least for now. Without giving away anything, the only thing I can say is it will be used in the future but of course with a Naruto twist and there would be an improved version as well.**_

_**To all the reviewers who pointed out the mistakes in the last two chapters. Thank you. Please let me know the errors in this one as well. I don't mind going back and editing it. Hopefully, everyone will like this chapter too.**_

_**Also, the usual warning. Dialogue alert, but there are somethings I mention in the chapter that are going to be very important in the future. Lastly, there is action as well, which I hope you guys will like. Though I must say I really admire the ability of fanfic writers like Kenchi618, Pokemaster12 etc. to write beautiful fight scenes. Well that's enough of my rant. Please go ahead and enjoy the chapter and kindly leave a review on your way out.  
><strong>_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Kishimoto's or David Weber's works or Nobuhiro Watsuki, if I did then I would be rich and famous. Of course, that's not to say that I am poor but the richness that I have in terms of character, determination, and a desire to learn apparently don't count for much. Moneywise, I am of course lacking. So, I use this story as my escape from real life.  
><em>

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

It was a beautiful afternoon in Konoha with the setting sun painting the sky in magnificent red and orange. People were going about their business in the afternoon hours before the curtain of darkness fell across the land. Since, it was such a busy time of the day; the streets were packed with civilians and shinobi alike. Amid, the throng of people there were two shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura just roaming the streets of the village. Most of the time people didn't give too much thought about the two, even though by now both were known throughout the village.

For Naruto, it was of course his infamy as the jailor of the Kyuubi no Yoko and Sakura was known for being the apprentice of the Hokage. At the moment everyone was looking at them with a shocked face, or at least looking at Naruto and doing a double take. Even the most die-hard haters of the infamous Kyuubi couldn't help but stare at the pair of them. For the shinobi who were old enough to live through the third shinobi war, looking at Naruto was akin to turning back the clock. Of course, the irony of the situation was hard to deny considering that the person residing in the body of Uzumaki Naruto was from a different time.

However, it was the uncanny resemblance to the hero of Konoha, their beloved Yondaime Hokage that was throwing people off. The black colored haori was tied at the front with just a bit of orange visible underneath, combined that with the hair color along with the hair style to go along with the confidence that just oozed from him, it was like looking at a blast from the past.

To the younger generation of civilian and shinobi alike it was the gait of the pair that attracted their attention. Their gaze held the poise of predators, who knew they were at the top of the food chain. It wasn't anything overt; in fact it was the completely subtle way in which the pair held themselves let people know that they were armed and dangerous.

While walking languidly with relaxed body language and nonchalant facial expression, Naruto and Sakura were enjoying each other's company after a hard days practice. Since, the successful bell test, they were working with Kakashi on different formations that could be used during the missions. After all, they were part of the military of the village and as such training for different situations during an emergency was a prerequisite.

The last time they didn't have to do anything similar because Naruto and Sakura were Genin and Chunnin respectively, which meant they were not high up the food chain, where they might be in a position to lead. This time though, Kakashi had already hinted on Naruto getting a promotion and Sakura was already a Jounin so their responsibilities were different as well.

Despite the calmness displayed on the outside, Naruto was laughing his ass off through the link by just looking at the reaction of the people around them. Sakura meanwhile was just as amused at Naruto's silliness and the shock written on people's faces.

She knew how similar Naruto looked to the Yondaime Hokage especially this time. In the previous timeline, Naruto still had a bit of baby fat on his cheeks, along with shorter bangs in the front of his face, which differentiated him from his father until he hit 18. Now though, after working on his physical condition daily, it seems that one of the after effects was the removal of the baby fat. This was just fine for Sakura; in fact it was more than fine. In a sense, it was planned because this was one of the first steps to the long term plan.

In order for Naruto to be recognized as Hokage, he would have to be well known. The first step to his publicity was to make people talk about him; however they had to make sure that the hardliners with the hatred for Kyuubi no Yoko, didn't interfere too much. So, they had opted to use the laurels of Naruto's father's that were still sung in the plan wasn't the rebirth of Yondaime through Naruto, it was meant for people to start asking the reason behind Naruto's looks being similar to one of their beloved leader. Sakura was hoping that when the question became the talk of the town that Tsunade would release his heritage to the whole village. This would make sure that people would be aware of his lineage from his father's and mother's side.

It's always thought that the Hokage is the strongest person in the village. That is true however; just the physical abilities and ninjutsu aren't the only things that were required to become Hokage. Recognition was also important because a Hokage was supposed to be more than a leader. They are supposed to be an ideal that people could look up to; as such they had to rise above the normal level of shinobi. Once, Naruto became the talk of the village then his missions would be closely followed and Sakura knew that fighting S-rank level ninja when you were just 16 years old would certainly turn heads and make Damiyo of the fire country take notice.

Naruto was listening to Sakura's thoughts as she wasn't particularly trying to hide them, looking at her he smiled, "You are forgetting about yourself, Sakura-chan. Together, the two of us are going to take on Akatsuki, so we are both going to be noticed."

Sakura nodded through the link, "I know Naruto, and we will do this together. But first we have to get you famous."

Naruto shook his head, "No, we have to get both of us famous," looking at her with love he emphasised the 'we', "There is no point, if everything remains the same as last time."

Knowing she was about to interrupt, Naruto kept on going, "Sakura-chan, let's just do it differently okay? Instead of fighting like everybody else, we will fight with our combinations, just like the other timeline."

Sakura just looked at Naruto for a few seconds, "I don't mind that Naruto. In fact, our effectiveness increases quite a bit but I still have the last stage to complete before the jutsu is fully activated and you still have to fully convince Kurama to help out, which means we both will have holes in our formation."

Naruto agreed through the link; looking around he noticed they were standing in the middle of the street while having the conversation so he pointed his head forward and started walking, "I know Sakura-chan but it's not like you have to wait a long time or something," shrugging his shoulders he continued, "anyway I have a feeling that Kurama will see my point of view, when you are finishing your jutsu."

Sakura raised her eyebrow, "You are going to show him that?" She asked, before shivering herself. Even though she was going to perform it, it was still a nerve wracking experience, which she didn't wish on her worst enemy but she knew it was required for her to get to her old level, so steeling herself she said, "10 days. They will be out of hibernation and we can begin the first level of the ritual."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding walking in silence. Once they were clear of the busy streets and nearing the area where Naruto's apartment was located, Naruto called out, "You have some business with us, ANBU-san?"

Sakura knew there was a member of ANBU following them even as far back as the crowded city streets. However, it wasn't just the presence of ANBU that she was familiar with, it was also the person itself, "Hello, Uzuki-san? What brings you here?" She asked without turning around.

Naruto could feel the ANBU stiffen in surprise, though this person or should he say lady was very good. She didn't allow the surprise to show overtly anywhere on her body but both of them had been in the game far too long. So, it was easy for them to read her body language no matter how good she was at hiding it, though he could imagine her surprise underneath the mask. Before he could continue his musings any further, he heard her speak, "Hokage-sama has called the two of you in her office."

Sakura looked at Naruto, with a raised eyebrow, while talking through their link, "Wonder, what this is about?"

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, "Only one way to find out Sakura-chan."

Both of them turned to look at the ANBU who was observing them very closely. If anyone had asked Uzuki Yuugao regarding her careful scrutiny of the two teens in front of her, she wouldn't have been able to answer. It was just something instinctual about them that raised her heckles. Looking at the two of them together she was surprised to find a level of certitude that most veteran shinobi get once they know they had reached a pinnacle. It was a sense of belief in oneself, where they knew they were strong enough to survive in a dangerous environment.

However, it wasn't just the confidence that surprised Yuugao, it was the camaraderie that both displayed as well. It was clear to her that the two of them were close, in fact if she didn't know any better she would say that the two teenagers in front of her were talking to each through their eyes. There were no words that they couldn't convey without talking, which would imply an innate trust in each other's ability to protect the other from harm. And that was the crux of the matter, that instinct to protect each other was visible through their body language.

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, she heard Sakura, "Are you going to escort us, Uzuki-san?

Nodding her head to signify her compliance, she turned around to start running on the rooftops but was startled due to the presence of both teenagers in front of her. She schooled her features further underneath the mask when she saw Naruto turn his head slightly towards her and smile mischievously. Knowing she had been had, she stepped forward and started to jump on the rooftops, observing the casual ease with which both Naruto and Sakura were able to keep pace with her easily.

Naruto was enjoying himself through the link, "It's been so long since I saw her that I totally forgot she used to be so uptight?"

Sakura concurred with Naruto through the link, "I know what you mean. Though, in her defense she had her heart broken when Hayate-san died. It's her coping mechanism."

Naruto saddened by the kunoichi's loss, couldn't really say anything. He had not known the man personally and had only seen him once when he was 12 years old during the Chuunin exams. It was only after he donned the Hokage's hat and got to know the people who would be protecting him that he found out about Uzuki Yuugao and the person dear to her heart who had died during the exam. After that he had made it his mission to get her to mellow down and with Sakura's help succeeded in his self-appointed task, which was followed by a lifelong friendship from Yuugao towards the resident Uzumaki's and vice-versa.

So, Naruto was very happy to see their old friend, in fact other than meeting Tsunade, Shizune and Kakashi, Naruto hadn't had a chance to meet his other friends yet. That is why, he was hoping that whatever Tsunade wanted with them wouldn't take a long time because he wanted to go out and meet some people.

Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts by Sakura's voice through the link, "Though did you really have to startle her?"

"This coming from the person, who said an ANBU agent's name out in the open," Naruto deadpanned at Sakura, "I think, you are finally seeing the importance of pranking, although you are not at my level yet."

Looking at Naruto, Sakura was disconcerted to see him in a relaxed posture on the outside but cackling madly through the link, "Welcome to the dark side."

Luckily for her before Naruto could continue his monologue in his evil persona they arrived at the Hokage tower. As Yuugao stepped inside the building, she noticed Hatake Kakashi leaning on the wall in front of them. Knowing the man's reputation and old rank in ANBU she bowed to her senior, "Kakashi-senpai."

In his usual nonchalance, Kakashi just raised his right hand and eye smiled, "Yo."

When Naruto saw Kakashi, he stepped around the two kunoichi and walked up to his teacher, "Kakashi-sensei, do you know why baachan called for us?"

Kakashi just nodded his head while keeping his eye on the book in front of him, "I might have some idea."

Knowing Kakashi wasn't going to say anymore, Sakura interrupted the awkward silence, "Let's go Naruto," while walking up the stairs, "sensei is still hurting from the beat down."

Sniggering, Naruto followed Yuugao and Sakura up the stairs, Kakashi following him with a proverbial rain cloud above his head. Before too long they reached the Hokage's office and Yuugao knocked on the door.

Before she heard the permission to enter, Yuugao noticed that Naruto had already opened the door and boisterously yelled, "Hey Tsunade-baachan-" though before he could say anything else a paper weight zoomed by at a very fast pace.

With trepidation, Yuugao entered the office followed by Sakura and Kakashi, though the two of them were used to the antics it seemed since they didn't bat an eyelash at the projectile weapon. Yuugao nonetheless was conflicted in her feelings, on the one hand she was amazed that there was someone who would call the leader of their village who was said to have a short temper, 'Baachan' but then the kunoichi in her was troubled at the lack of respect.

Before she could say anything, she heard Naruto yell once more, "What did you do that for, you old hag?"

At hearing Naruto call her old hag on top of his other moniker of 'Baachan' Tsunade was ready to wring the little shit's neck, but she settled for, "That was the least I could do, you brat. Who are you calling old?"

Naruto just pointed his finger at Tsunade dramatically, however before he could utter anything else, he was put down by Sakura or more precisely her fist, "Show Tsunade-sama some respect, baka."

Tsunade nodded in self-satisfaction and looked at Sakura, "Good work Sakura," pointing at Naruto she said, "You have my permission to smack him a few more times."

Quickly Naruto stood up straighter and backed up against the wall, showing Sakura an expression of betrayal on his face, "Sakura-chan…why?"

Sakura just shook her head mischievously, "I saved your life. If she got out of her chair it would be even worse," Sakura said through the link sending her love alongside as well, "You idiot, you should get out of the habit of antagonizing her."

"But it's fun," Naruto replied back through the link before looking at Tsunade with puppy dog eyes, "Baachan, you would do that to poor old me?" Increasing the effect several times through a genjutsu, he continued, "I am just a naïve little boy, basking in your glory."

"You, naïve?" Tsunade just scoffed and shook her head in amusement, "when you have two open perverts as your sensei?"

Naruto sweat dropped and conceded the point, so dropping the genjutsu he stood up straight, "Well speaking of perverts, when are you going to come in Ero-sennin?"

Disgruntled, Jiraiya opened the window and stepped inside, "Dammit gaki, how many times have I told you not to call me that?"

Naruto just appeared disinterested and started cleaning his ear, "When you stop peeping on women, like a pervert I will stop calling you ero-sennin."

"Alright that's enough," Tsunade stopped the impending argument before it could gain any more traction, "ANBU, you are dismissed."

Hearing those words snapped Yuugao out of her stupor, she couldn't believe that this kid had talked to two of the most powerful and respected shinobi in such a disrespectful manner and it seemed that the people around them were used to it, shaking her head in disbelief, she uttered, "Hokage-sama," and exited the room.

Once the door closed behind the departure of Uzuki Yuugao, Tsunade looked at Naruto, "You seriously need to control you tongue brat."

Naruto just smiled good-naturedly, "Oh come on baachan you know you love me."

Exasperated Tsunade just shook her head, "Anyway, I called you both here to congratulate you on passing the test yesterday."

Sakura just bowed her head, "Thank you, shishou," while Naruto just rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

With pride in her voice Tsunade continued, "After watching the battle yesterday, I think it's safe to say that you deserve a promotion brat."

Naruto smiled when he heard those words, especially when he heard Sakura's voice through the link, "Finally!"

Standing a little straighter Naruto bowed, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

To say Tsunade was surprised would be an understatement. This was the same person who called her baachan in front of the whole village without worrying about the repercussions; with just the talk about the promotion, the change in Naruto's mannerisms let her know that he had grown even more than she expected. She could see through his eyes that he was overjoyed but his face only showed a slight smile. If she wasn't watching it happen in front of her, she would never have believed that Naruto could be so deferential towards someone

When Jiraiya watched Naruto snap to attention with picture perfect precision, his chest felt like it would burst with pride. Thinking about his deceased student and his wife Jiraiya thought, _'You both would have been so proud of him. He has turned into a wonderful person, even with all the odds against him.'_Though he was also surprised by Naruto's behaviour, to see the brat standing on ceremony and not jump around like a tailless monkey, while asking about the rank he was being promoted to was a shocker. But more than anything else, he was delighted at Naruto's rise through the ranks.

Kakashi was also extremely pleased at Naruto's maturity, happy to be present at one of his student's promotion. He had been out of the village doing missions when Sakura received her Chuunin and Jounin vest, so this was a privilege for him to stand witness alongside Jiraiya-sama, in one of the first field promotions given to someone out of Naruto's age group.

Looking at Naruto, Tsunade asked, "I am surprised to see you standing in one place for so long brat. I would have thought, you would be jumping around asking about the rank that you have been promoted to?"

Smiling at Tsunade after receiving permission to speak, "I can already guess baachan," Naruto spoke cheekily.

Grinning at his impudence, she raised her eyebrow in question, "Oh, do tell," she ordered, interested in hearing his reasoning.

Naruto took a breath and nodded his head, thinking about his answer, "First of all baachan, I know I am strong," he looked at Tsunade straight in the eyes to show he wasn't being cocky, "I can fight Ero-sennin to a draw, if nothing else let that be a measuring stick."

Of course, Tsunade knew what he was talking about, since a draw implied the condition when both of them were not trying to kill each other. She had heard from Jiraiya that Naruto was capable of doing senjutsu and was even better at using the skill than him.

Intruding her thought process Naruto continued, "Using that ruler, you know that I can compete with any Jounin in the village. The test against Kakashi-sensei was also a way for you to see our teamwork and individual growth." Naruto said pointing towards Sakura.

"To tell you the truth, I was hoping for a promotion to Jounin but I know that won't happen, at least not this time," Naruto continued, watching Tsunade raise an eyebrow in question.

Pointing at Jiraiya, "During our training Ero-sennin, made me go through the Shinobi manual, from there I know in order to become Jounin I need to have a certain number of missions under my belt, outside of wartime conditions," shrugging his shoulders Naruto continued, "So, I already know that if I am going to be promoted, it will be to Chuunin."

Scrutinizing Naruto closely, Tsunade discovered that he had already accepted the outcome, "And if I didn't call you for the promotion, you were going to bug me for it," She deadpanned.

Instead of saying anything, Naruto just shrugged with a smile on his face.

Sighing in amusement at his lack of denial, Tsunade shook her head, "Well, anyway you look at it, remaining a Genin isn't for you. So with the-" Before she could continue, there was a knock on the door.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

After knocking, Shizune slowly opened the door and bowed her head before looking startled at the people gathered in the room, "I am sorry Tsunade-sama. I didn't know you were busy."

Tsunade waved her hand at Shizune, "That's fine Shizune. You might as well be here for the occasion."

Looking at Tsunade in confusion, "Of course, Tsunade-sama but I have Shikamaru-kun and Temari-san with me."

Sighing Tsunade gestured for all of them to enter, "Before you guys greet each other, let me finish this."

Turning towards Naruto, she saw that he was still standing in the same place facing her, "As I was saying before I was interrupted; I know you are more than ready to become a Jounin. The only thing stopping me from promoting you straight to Jounin is as you said the required number of missions."

Seeing Naruto nod his head in agreement she continued, "However, seeing as you have the confidence of two of the top shinobi of the village, and after reviewing the result of your previous test, a compromise was reached."

With her back straight, looking him in the eyes Tsunade spoke, "By the powers vested in me by the village of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto you are hereby promoted to the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin," watching his surprised expression, she resumed her speech, "This rank is usually awarded to people who are deemed to be missing a few requirements from becoming fully-fledged Jounin. However, in your case this rank would be a temporary title until you have completed the required number of missions to achieve full rank. Until then you are not allowed to direct a Genin squad under your command; also you will receive only half the pay grade for the afforded rank barring the mission payment."

Once Tsunade finished her decree of his promotion, Naruto rattled of, "Hai, Hokage-sama," and bowed his head deeply in respect towards the lady who had become something of a mother figure to him, "Thank You," He said extremely humbled because he knew that she probably had to fight tooth and nail against the administration and the council to award him the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin. So, looking at her he spoke, "I will not disappoint you," conveying his feelings.

Jiraiya saw Tsunade become emotional when Naruto said those words. He was happy that Naruto understood the meaning behind the promotion. He saw the politics that Tsunade played to give Naruto this reward and knew that she had to pull quite a few favours for his student to have this promotion. So, with a widest grin on his face Jiraiya congratulated his student, "Nicely done gaki. Welcome to the big leagues."

Kakashi also felt his heart fill with pride watching the young man in front of him, who had matured from the 12 year old kid, "Naruto, I am very proud of you. From now on, all of us truly are equals."

Naruto just grinned widely unable to form words. The last time he had made history by becoming a Hokage who had the rank of Genin throughout his career. So, he had only had one ceremony in his life to commemorate his promotion. He had always wondered what it felt like to others when he had given out promotions, to know that there was another step after the current position. Thus, it was a new experience for him and so with his voice heavy with emotion, he returned "Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Later that night…

In order to celebrate Naruto's promotion Shikamaru had suggested a party at the barbeque restaurant where he was supposed to meet his team. When Sakura had suggested calling out the rest of their classmates as well for a little get together, Jiraiya decided to book the whole restaurant for the occasion. When Naruto looked at him in surprise, Jiraiya had simply pointed towards Tsunade and Naruto understood that if the Hokage of the village was attending then it was better for them to have privacy. That way Tsunade would be able to enjoy her time as well.

At the restaurant, the owner of the establishment, one Kakei Shinji was running around making sure that the guests were fully satisfied. It was a very big deal for him because he knew due to the presence of Tsunade, Jiraiya and other influential Jounin of the village, the prestige of his restaurant was about to go sky high. When he was first approached regarding the party at a very short notice of just 3 hours, the first thought in his mind was to reject the offer. However, when the invitation is made personally by Jiraiya of the Sannin, it is very hard to refuse service to such a powerful ninja. And so, without any other course of action, Shinji had committed himself to the task and made sure his staff was fully accountable for such an event.

Once everyone had arrived and congratulated Naruto on his promotion, the party began in earnest. Everyone was seated around the big barbeque in the centre of the table, however before the party could start in full swing Naruto stood up to say a few things, "Thank you, to all of you for coming today. Also, Ero-sennin, thank you for paying for the party," Naruto smiled at Jiraiya, who grinned back at him.

Looking around Naruto noticed Chouji's eager face as he eyed the barbeque in front of him, so with a chuckle he ended quickly, "However not all of us are present today. Team Gai is still out of the village on a mission, which means that the next time all of us are in the village, we will have to throw another party and that one will be on me. For now though let's eat."

Hearing, Chouji's 'hear, hear!' drew laughter from the crowd, so without further ado, the party started in full swing. Naruto just sat down and looked at the people around him. It was so long ago since he had seen all of them together. At the time they were all grown up with families of their own. It was bittersweet for him to know that the people he knew they would become were gone but there was also solace in the fact that there was a chance to bring that time back once more.

Hearing Naruto's thoughts, Sakura sent him feelings of love through the bond. She was also melancholy the first time she saw all of their friends together like this. Except for her, it was far harder to cope because Naruto was so far away. Now though, the two of them were together so she would do everything in her power to keep Naruto from being sad, at least for the duration of the party.

"Look on the bright side, Naruto. At least, they are all alive and well," Sakura talked to him through the link.

Naruto nodded as he quietly took the meat off the barbeque, "Yeah, they are and I would like to keep it that way for a long time to come."

Sakura smiled at hearing that knowing what Naruto was pointing towards, "I know Naruto, we can save them or at least we will do everything in our power to save them," that was an important distinction that Sakura felt they had to make, especially to themselves. Yes, they had the power to save people from dying but just because they had the power didn't mean that they would be successful as well. It was a very important point to keep in mind, otherwise the consequences could be deadly.

Of course Naruto understood what Sakura was saying and agreed with her, "Yeah, I know. Still Asuma-sensei is alive and Kurenai-sensei is already pregnant, so let's try to make sure he is able to see his child."

Sakura stopped eating for a second and looked at Naruto, "You want to mark him?"

Naruto just nodded through the link and caressed her thoughts with his feelings. Sakura didn't say anything at first and Naruto thought she might be against it but then her mind opened up to him and he felt her thoughts going mile a minute. It was the sensation of sheer speed that signified a plan was forming in her mind and Naruto just marvelled at the thought process. He had always found it fascinating to feel Sakura think, it was like a whole barrage of scenarios would go through her mind after which she would discard the useless ones. Before he could contemplate her thought process any further Sakura interrupted him, "I will set up the talk around the table, while keeping everyone distracted. You find the opportunity to mark him alright?"

"Sure," Naruto replied back while looking around the table at the seated guests.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Shikamaru just wanted to lie down, after a troublesome blonde on his team and another one who was working with him due to her status as ambassador of Suna; with Naruto back the full set was complete. And right off the bat, Naruto had created uproar, by being promoted to Tokubetsu Jounin. He still couldn't believe that this Naruto was the same person that he knew three years ago. In fact, he wasn't the only one who was feeling odd by Naruto getting a promotion especially straight from being a Genin to Tokubetsu Jounin.

And Shikamaru didn't think there was anything wrong with his disbelief as well. After watching Naruto's performance in the Chuunin Exams and having him on the team when they tried to rescue Sasuke, it was never highlighted that Naruto was very smart. He could use situational awareness around him to trick opponents to a certain level but he wasn't one to extensively plan for a situation. In fact, it was clear to say at the time that Naruto was lacking in the brain department, so for him to improve so much to the point where he received a promotion, which was only a placeholder for him until he could fulfill the mission requirements meant that the Hokage had faith in his abilities to lead a team under him and succeed.

Shikamaru just didn't know what to think, which was making his head hurt even more. It was still hard for him to grasp that there were two people from their year who were able to receive the rank of Jounin in 3 years. However, the absurdity of the situation was that both of them showed no promise in their earlier years, which would have led him to believe that they could improve so quickly. Though he was sure the teachers that both of them had gained along the way had a major hand in their development but he hit a snag in thinking that as well, especially since Ino was also being trained by Tsunade.

From what he had heard through the gossip around the Konoha grapevine, Sakura wasn't just on par with Tsunade-sama in terms of medical jutsu, she had her super strength as well. And that wasn't counting the elements that she was able to use. It was a requirement to know at least two in order to become Jounin, which meant she learned elemental jutsu to the point where she could actively use it in a fight in under 3 years. Another thing that he had heard from Ino was that Sakura was well versed in fuuinjutsu as well; making her versatile in fields other than medical ninjutsu. How does someone, who was so one dimensional that they had no attack other than the standard academy jutsu and was at best able to tie in a preliminary match three years ago, suddenly able to surpass the rest of the people around them by finding their niche and learning things outside of it as well?

Both Naruto and Sakura in his mind were turning out to be troublesome. Before he could continue with his thought process, he saw Kiba, who was a little drunk apparently, watching Naruto with unmasked curiosity, "So Naruto, what did you do these past three years to become strong this quickly?"

Naruto just looked at Kiba, "What makes you say that I am strong?"

Before Kiba could say anything, Shino cut him off, "The fact that Tsunade-sama felt that you deserved to be promoted to Jounin? Or the way you handle yourself. You seem in control."

Taking the page out of Shino's book, Kiba interrupted, "Forget all of that. I know you are strong because Akamaru was able to smell you Naruto. In fact, when we came into the restaurant, he warned me that there are four people in here that are extremely dangerous."

Naruto just looked at Kiba with a slight smile, before he turned his head towards Akamaru, who was sitting a little to the side due to his large size, "You have become strong, Akamaru. It's not just the big size is it?" He threw a large piece of raw meat from his plate towards Akamaru, before facing the table once more.

Hearing Akamaru's gruff bark, Naruto looked at Kiba and asked in a knowing way, "And who else, did he imply was strong enough for you to beware of?"

Kiba yelled in an accusing fashion, "You already know it Naruto," but when he watched him not respond to his taunt, he continued, "It was you, Jiraiya-sama, Hokage-sama and Sakura."

Nodding his head, Naruto deadpanned, "Do you see some similarities there?"

To stop the discussion from going in circles and not wanting to waste the opportunity to find information, Shikamaru interrupted, "Naruto, we already know that but try to understand from our point of view. When you left the village to train, you weren't so overwhelming where we felt that we couldn't beat you if we had to fight."

Shrugging at Shikamaru, Naruto asked, "How do you want me to answer that, Shika? I trained my ass off because I didn't know if I was going to get a chance like that again," turning his head he surveyed others around the table and saw that everyone was listening to the conversation, "Also, having S-rank people after your life, gives you a real kick to improve quickly."

After hearing that nobody said anything for a few seconds, thinking about the threat that Naruto had to face. However, before long Ino ended the silence, "I can imagine," Then looking at Sakura, she spoke "But what about you, forehead? After you starting training with Tsunade-sama, you moved through the ranks really quickly."

Sakura looked at Ino and nodded her head; it was a hard point for her to argue because she could see that Ino was feeling bitter about it. She could understand Ino's point of view, three years ago during the Chuunin exams they both had been at the same level but suddenly her rival was able to improve at a fast pace, which made her feel left behind. So, keeping Ino's feelings in mind, she started, "At first, it was just medical ninjutsu. I guess my chakra control helped as things came easy to me but once I found out about the people after Naruto's life, I had no other choice," shrugging her shoulder slightly, "I am not leaving him to fend for himself. If Akatsuki think they can take him away, they are more than welcome to try because I would like nothing more than to remove their sorry existence."

Looking at Naruto she continued, "I found my motivation and the rest was just guts and hard work, I guess."

At hearing those words, Ino looked at Sakura strangely. She wasn't the only one; Hinata had also narrowed her eyes, while she was trying to find the hidden meaning behind Sakura's words. That was another change in Sakura's outlook though Ino didn't know what to think of it. She couldn't figure out whether Sakura really meant it when she said that Naruto was her motivation or was it metaphorical. She could understand if Sakura started to look after Naruto due to Sasuke's desertion but she wasn't sure if Sakura was in love with him. Though looking at her eyes, when she looked at Naruto, Ino personally would have a hard time denying that Sakura was falling for Naruto.

Seeing the lull in the conversation, Chouji asked, "So, how strong do you think you are Naruto? Do you think you can take on Akatsuki?"

Watching Chouji, Naruto narrowed his eyes playfully, "I guess," before shrugging, "I mean I don't know for sure of course. It's a fight there are no fixed results but I feel confident in my abilities to at least give the bastards hell."

"Well said Naruto," Asuma nodded his head at Naruto's words, "That's the correct attitude to take. A fight's outcome is never clear so the best thing anyone can do is have faith in their own abilities. That goes a long way in keeping you alive."

Naruto just bowed his head slightly, "Thank you Asuma-sensei."

Then looking at Asuma and Kurenai together, Naruto continued, "Since, we are all getting reacquainted here, I hope it's not too presumptuous of me to congratulate you both on the upcoming addition to your family."

Naruto saw, Team 8's sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai blush, while Asuma had the look of an expecting father, "Thanks kid. I guess it's impossible to keep it quiet in a ninja village."

While watching the amusing reactions of Team 8 and 10, Sakura smiled, "I think that's a very good motivation to get stronger."

Kiba looked at Sakura strangely, "What? Having kids?"

Shikamaru wanted to smack his head on the table with the general stupidity of Kiba's question, though it was ironic in a sense that Naruto who was the least mature person of their group before his training trip explained, "To protect the future generations of shinobi. That's the motivation. After all, what's a village without its people?" And that one statement summed it up for Shikamaru. Uzumaki Naruto had matured from the twitchy little kid that he was three years ago, to be replaced by a more seasoned shinobi in his place. If only Shikamaru knew how close he had come to the actual truth.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

After the party had finished and everybody was going home, Naruto sent a clone to his apartment in order to keep up a façade of living on his own. Arriving at Sakura's house, Naruto stepped inside through the window, bypassing the warding seals altogether. Once, the front door opened and Sakura came in Naruto activated the seals throughout the house. After making sure that they were not compromised both of them went to the table in the living room and sat at opposite ends.

Biting his thumb in order to draw blood, Naruto swiped his thumb on a scroll from which an even bigger scroll came out. Once, the new scroll was unfurled on the table, Naruto and Sakura watched as lines started forming going outward from the middle. If anyone else had seen the scroll they would have been surprised to note, that it was a very detailed map of the village, which showed the location of people inside it in real time. However, the only people that could be tracked were those who had received the seal mark.

Looking at the scroll, Sakura used her fingers to zoom into the map and tracked all the people they had marked today, starting from Team 8 until she was satisfied "Looks like we were successful."

Naruto was also looking at the map and watching the names flutter about as some had reached their home and some were along the way, "Yeah, at least we can have the peace of mind that we will know if something goes wrong."

Sakura nodded her head, while keeping an eye of the map. They weren't peeping on people or keeping an eye on them per se. It was the exact opposite. After this they would not need to keep an eye out for the people who were marked. If ever their life was in danger, then Naruto and Sakura would be able to pinpoint their location and hopefully provide them the help they needed.

Naruto scrutinized the scroll closely, while thinking about the deception they had just performed on their friends. He was happy that they were successful, especially in the company of esteemed ninja that attended the party. He had started with Akamaru because without him being distracted, Kiba would have found out everything. So, when he had passed the raw meat to Akamaru, he had scribbled a quick seal on the back of the meat, which would make Akamaru a little sleepy and dull. It was nothing bad and the effect wore off an hour later. Next phase was to discretely cut his thumb and use the blood to manipulate it in the shape of seal characters, which then crawled towards the various people that were supposed to be marked. He had taken one side and Sakura had taken the other and so they had successfully marked their precious people.

Looking at Naruto, she asked, "So, who else is left?"

Naruto gazed at her, "Tsunade baachan, Kakashi sensei and Team Gai, for now."

Acquiescing Sakura folder the scroll back up and sealed it in the earlier scroll before handing it back to Naruto, "So, what now? Are you going out to start spreading the seals?"

Naruto raised his hands high in the air, stretching his back, "Yeah, might as well start on it. We might not get a chance to do that in the future. What about you?"

Tilting her head towards the ground, Sakura pointed towards the basement, "Since, the hibernation time is going to be over soon, I want to go through the preparations and make sure everything is complete from my end."

Moving towards the basement, she stopped at the top of the stairs, "I am going to erect a level 10 containment seal inside. Can you make sure there is one level 9 on top of it?"

Happy to fulfill the request, Naruto smiled, "Sure," while watching her proceed to the basement. In 10 days Sakura would complete the first phase of the jutsu and once that was done, he was hoping that Kurama would get in line with the plan as well. For now though, he couldn't do much except for his part in protecting the village by setting up the seals that they had planned.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

4 days later…

Naruto and Sakura were running towards the Hokage tower, post haste. Today was supposed to be the day when they were going to receive their first mission after a long time. Naruto was getting ready to leave the house and meet Sakura along the way to avoid suspicion; however, just as he was about to depart they received a dire notice.

And so, both of them were going towards Tsunade's office in order to deliver the news, that the Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara was captured by the Akatsuki's Deidara and Akasuna no Sasori. The news was only 20 minutes old as Naruto and Sakura had needed the time to prepare, making sure that they had all their bases covered. This was going to be their first fight with Akatsuki in a very long time and they intended to send a strong message to the other side. At the moment they were speeding through the village, going over the plan to sort out what they would have to reveal to their leader, so that they could help Gaara in time to save him and stop the Akatsuki from getting Shukaku.

Naruto had also dispatched clones to find Jiraiya, Kakashi and Sabaku no Temari in the village. Their intent was easy enough to understand, the less time wasted in calling people and planning the counter attack, the faster they would be able to reach out to Suna and help.

Reaching the Hokage's office, Sakura knocked on the door waiting for permission. Once, the door opened they looked around the room. Seeing only Shizune present both released a sigh of relief, "Baachan, we have important news."

Watching Tsunade's face as she raised her eyebrow in question, he continued, "Gaara was captured by Akatsuki," watching as comprehension dawned on her face, "just 20 minutes ago."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes in consternation, "And what proof do you have regarding this event?"

Sakura took out a scroll from her haori and placed it in front of Tsunade, "Shishou, there are two faces in the scroll that match the bingo book and the information that Jiraiya-sama provided regarding the personnel in the organization."

Not saying anything else, Sakura motioned Naruto to take over, "Baachan, when I was training with Ero-sennin, I created a seal, well it was more of a flying drone, that would inform me in case Akatsuki decided to come. However, since I knew that Gaara was also in trouble I sent a seal to Suna as well."

Watching Tsunade connect the dots he continued, "I know it was unsanctioned but this is still in trial and error phase, so I didn't tell anyone," hoping to placate Tsunade, in letting the issue go by considering it a mistake of youthful stupidity.

Of course, that was not the case at all but appearances had to be maintained and it was not the right time to show their hand yet, so Naruto anticipated the misdirection to lead Tsunade off of his back.

Hearing that Tsunade asked, "And what would have happened in case this failed to work and somebody found out?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders in response, "They will never be able to point it to us, for one simple fact, the drone is in the shape of a bird. It just flies in the air, high above the clouds, where most people would not be able to see it easily, while being totally inert until certain conditions are met where the target is attacked. Then, it will try to match the intruders with the picture from bingo book, along with taking photographical evidence that you have in front of you."

Seeing as Tsunade was about to ask another question, Naruto kept going, "Also, baachan, before you say anything, you should know, through the seal I saw Sabaku no Kankuro being poisoned by Akasuna no Sasori."

Listening to that piece of news, Tsunade wanted to bang her head on the table. Suna was their ally, even though they betrayed the treaty 3 years ago when they attacked Konoha, they were still the closest friend that Konoha had. Especially, after Sabaku no Gaara took the hat of the Kazekage. Due to Naruto's actions during the Chuunin Exams, Gaara held Naruto in high regard, which meant that the ties between Suna and Konoha were stronger than ever.

However, there was a reason for protocol and Tsunade was not happy with the initiative that both Naruto and Sakura had just taken. If somehow, any finger was pointed towards Konoha they would be in deeper shit than anything ever before. Looking at both the teenagers she said, "I have half a mind to reprimand you both for such a callous action, however right now the safety of the Kazekage is a priority. After this is over, we will be having words as to why you need to follow the rules that are laid out."

Naruto and Sakura just bowed their head in deference, knowing at the moment it was not the right time to argue their case. However, it was clear to them that once they returned there would be some tough questions to answer.

"Shizune, send for Jiraiya and Kakashi to come to my office, immediately," Tsunade said looking at her assistant.

Before she could reply back in the affirmative, Sakura spoke up, "Tsunade-sama, Naruto has already sent his clones out to Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-sensei and Temari-san."

Watching Naruto nod his head, Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she asked, "Tell me something; are you keeping track of where Akatsuki are taking Gaara?"

This time it was Sakura who nodded her head, "Yes, Tsunade-sama. After I had a talk with Naruto regarding seals and levels we were at, we both decided to try to improve his original design. I just sent my design out to Suna mere two days ago. At the moment it's only providing the general direction but once they stop somewhere, I will have a better idea of where they are."

Releasing her breath that she didn't know she had been holding, Tsunade relaxed a little bit, then looking at the two in front of her she ordered, "Naruto, Sakura when the others arrive do not say anything. Especially about Kazekage's older brother. I will explain everything."

When Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise as she expected, she continued before he could speak, "Once, Temari finds out the news of her brother, she might make a request for Sakura to head towards the village."

Understanding flooded Sakura's face but Tsunade continued, "As an ally, I wouldn't be able to deny that request, however I don't want to break your team up and going to Suna first would hinder the mission. No, I will send Shizune with a few others to the Sand, in order to help out while your team will confront Akatsuki."

Hearing Tsunade's plan, Naruto agreed with her and showed his compliance to her through his smile. Before he could say anything, the door to the office opened and Jiraiya walked in followed by Kakashi and Temari. Once the door closed behind them, Jiraiya asked, "What's the matter?"

While Tsunade delivered the news to the three people who had just joined them, Naruto and Sakura were having a discussion through their link.

"Sakura-chan, how are we going to confront them?" Naruto asked thinking of a plan.

Sakura knew what Naruto was asking because depending on the answer, they would have to change the way they attacked, "Last time we separated and I took on Sasori. We can do that or we can fight in tandem taking on Sasori."

Naruto thought about it for a few seconds and nodded his head, "Hopefully, Gaara will still be alive, which means that he might be able to join the attack against Deidara."

The reason for focussing on Sasori was pretty simple. In short, it was due to the fear that Suna ninja had of Sasori. Owing to the terror was a large bounty on his head, which meant that once they were able to show proof that they had killed Akasuna no Sasori, they would have money to play around with. Also, since Sasori was such a boogeyman in Suna, it would mean that once he was defeated Naruto's and Sakura's fame would grow as well. Except this time, their plan would have two times the consequences as they will be lauded in Suna for erasing a ghost of the past and in Konoha for their first victory against an S-rank opponent.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, the only problem is whether Kakashi sensei will allow us the freedom to fight alone."

Naruto looked at Kakashi just as Tsunade finished the briefing, and smiled to himself, "I think he just might."

Getting back to the room and the people in it, Naruto and Sakura looked at Tsunade as she gave orders, "Team seven, you will move out immediately to give chase to Akatsuki and help protect the Kazekage." Then looking at Temari she continued, "Meanwhile, Temari-san, you will be escorted by a team under Shizune's command to Suna, in order to provide any assistance to the people who were injured by the attack. Once you reach your destination, mobilize a team to help Team seven."

Temari looked at Tsunade with tears of gratitude in her eyes for thinking about the people of Suna as well, "Thank you Hokage-sama. I really appreciate your help."

Looking at Temari, Sakura walked up to her to show her support, "Don't worry Temari-san, we will bring your brother back."

Unable to say anything, Temari just smiled with tears streaming down her face, while the rest of the people looked on with determined faces. It was time to test their mettle against the might of Akatsuki.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

On the way after Gaara's kidnappers, Naruto and Sakura set a very fast pace, which Kakashi was having trouble keeping up with. He was making sure that his breathing was even and focussing on his steps in order to conserve energy because at the rate they were going, he would run out of gas even before they started fighting. It was still hard for him to believe that Sakura wasn't having any trouble keeping up with Naruto. Both were side by side and moving forward steadily albeit at a hurried pace but you wouldn't be able to tell it through their footsteps because every move was just as smooth as the last.

Calling for his students, Kakashi yelled, "Naruto, Sakura slow down. We will be able to reach them before they can extract the Shukaku."

Naruto looked back at his teacher without slowing down, "That's not it Kakashi-sensei. We are hurrying because we are close to them."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise, "What? We have only been running for 8 hours. There is no way we can reach them that fast."

Kakashi had a valid point, if it was normal ninja they were pursuing, but the group of people in the Akatsuki were not normal by any means of the imagination. In this case they were pursuing a pair of ninja that were as crazy as they come. One had converted his whole body into a puppet and the other had a fetish for explosions that he found pretty interesting.

Keeping her eyes on the scroll in front of her Sakura answered, "They have been flying towards fire country for quite a while. It's pretty bold of them to come into our borders but I guess they are counting on the vast landscape to protect them from prying eyes."

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement; it was pretty smart of them to hide in the fire country. Even though they were preparing to fight Akatsuki, Tsunade hadn't formed any particular task force regarding the situation so they were taking advantage of Konoha's leniency. Looking at his students and feeling energized due to the nearing battle Kakashi sped up to reach Naruto and Sakura, "How far are they from us?"

Sakura replied still maintaining eyes on the scroll, "As long as they don't change directions, I am pretty sure we can be on them in another hour, maybe less if they have a hideout around here."

Kakashi nodded his head and saw Naruto forming a hand seal and release a burst of chakra, "What are you doing Naruto?"

Naruto didn't reply for a few seconds, before turning his head towards Kakashi, "I am keeping an eye out for any seals, in case their hideout is around here somewhere-" before he could say anything further, he found a subtle pull from straight ahead.

Quickly, raising his head he motioned for the other two to stop. Pulling out a scroll in order to make seals, Naruto sat on his heels on the tree branch, while talking to Sakura through the link, "I found something, about 1 km in front of us."

Sakura kept looking straight ahead and asked, "Seal? Time frame?"

Naruto shrugged in his thoughts, while continuing to draw the seal, "Instantly."

Sakura took a deep breath in order to relax herself; if Naruto was right then they might have found the Akatsuki's lair, where they were planning on extracting Shukaku. The reason behind the suspicion was very simple; there were powerful wards up ahead that stopped Naruto's chakra search promptly. That would imply someone didn't want anyone without the password snooping around.

Looking at Kakashi, Sakura pointed up ahead, "The lair might be up ahead, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto might have found something."

Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan to peer into the landscape hoping to find anything out of the ordinary, "I don't see anything different with the Sharingan."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, "That's probably because we are still farther away from the drop point. If we move any closer, they will find out and inform the two who are coming here to depart with Gaara."

Kakashi agreed and relaxed against a tree branch, "So, what do you propose we do?"

Sakura answered instantly, "We ambush them."

Kakashi raised his only visible brow, "I see," he had nothing else to say to Sakura's statement. Ambushing them was the plan right from the beginning so Sakura hadn't said anything different. Though the way she was smirking let him know, she was just pulling his leg.

Sakura took out a piece of paper with the kanji for 'open' written on it, "Take this Kakashi-sensei and put it under your headband."

At his questioning look, she elaborated, "This will allow us to communicate, without the use of an earpiece," pointing in front of them, "they are probably using jammers up ahead. This way we will remain in communication in case we separate during the battle."

Grateful for Sakura's quick thinking he took the piece of paper and put it in the space between the metal and the cloth, "Good thinking."

Of course, what Kakashi didn't know was that that particular paper had two purposes. One was of course, to be able to communicate but the other was to mark him without drawing attention towards the fact.

Nodding her head, Sakura saw that Naruto was almost done before he stood up, "Okay, I am done. Sakura-chan, take it away."

Sakura acquiesced by taking the scroll and making hand seals before, she took another scroll and stuck it on top of the seal that Naruto was working on, "Seal Release: Mirror Image." Repeating the process one more time, she passed one scroll to Naruto and the other to Kakashi while she kept the last one.

Naruto pointed towards the scroll in Kakashi's hand, "That would side-step the alarms so we can proceed without worrying about triggering anything over long distance."

So, the three delved further into the confrontation with Akatsuki hoping the element of surprise would shift the momentum in their favour.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Arriving at the hideout, it was clear to Naruto and Sakura that Akatsuki was enjoying the hospitality of the fire country by taking advantage of the fact that they had a large amount of land and even though Konoha had one of the largest military on the continent, they still couldn't patrol all the areas. The seals around the hideout were powerful enough that if anyone had come within 800 metres of the hideout they would have been discovered pretty easily. The seal scroll that each of the three of them had on their person was scrambling the detection seal near the hideout, which allowed them to hide behind the opening of the cave waiting for Deidara and Sasori.

Sakura had a pair of binocular pointed to the sky, checking for any sign of Akatsuki, while Kakashi had his Sharingan out searching for anything moving on the ground that would give their position away. Naruto on the other hand was sitting between the two gathering chakra. After a period of 30 seconds he looked up, "Sakura-chan they are coming from the North-west. Gaara is hurt judging from his breathing."

Sakura pointed the binoculars in the direction Naruto pointed, "I see them. They are on a clay bird. Gaara-san is wrapped inside the tail of the bird."

Watching the scene with his own eyes when the bird came closer, Naruto stood up from his sitting position, the sage mode was still on, signified by the red pigment of the eyelids and the horizontal line for pupils. He wasn't taking any chances here until Gaara was safe and sound, "Sakura-chan, how do you want to do this?" He asked her telepathically.

Sakura looked at the position of the bird for a few more seconds before she replied, "You will create the distraction, while I will make first contact."

Naruto thought about the plan some more and nodded his head, "After your attack, I will extract the package and Kakashi will take the target."

Sakura bobbed her head in compliance, before she spoke in the communication seal, explaining the plan, "Kakashi- sensei, after we have extracted Gaara, you take on Deidara and Naruto will take on Sasori."

"Roger that," Kakashi replied back promptly seemingly satisfied with the plan, once Sakura explained that she needed the time to heal Gaara without her having to worry about an attack from behind, while Naruto and he distracted their opponent.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto was watching the clay bird slow down, preparing to land, when the world started moving in slow motion. It was a bizarre sensation of time slowing down but he was used to the change in perception, "Tick, activated," he said quietly through the link.

As soon as Sakura heard the affirmation, she started the countdown for the attack. When the clay bird stopped in the air, she shouted, "Now."

Naruto moulded the chakra quickly and raised his hands in the air, "Wind Release: Hurricane Destruction," destroying the hideout to smithereens from the inside.

Watching the rocks fly into the air due to the jutsu, Sakura jumped out into the hurricane from the eye of the storm letting the winds take her near the clay bird, "Lightning Release: Plasma cutter," as an arc of plasma shot out of her fingertips and cut off the tail of the bird with the Kazekage wrapped in it.

Naruto quickly jumped towards the falling Kazekage and grabbed him before making a run for it, while keeping an eye out for the puppet user. When Sakura's lightning attack had hit the clay bird, Naruto saw Sasori jumping away before he disappeared from his view. However, the sage mode was useful for keeping tabs on Sasori and Naruto knew that the puppet user was behind him.

Before he could contemplate further, he heard Sakura's shout, "Tail…bomb," through their link, quickly releasing Gaara from the clay appendage and throwing it back towards Sasori to buy some time.

Sakura had watched as Deidara's hands had formed the seal for detonating the tail wrapped around Gaara. When the explosion occurred, she didn't know whether Naruto had survived or not because there was nothing on the link. In the confusion, she yelled, "Naruto!"

For a second fear gripped her heart thinking that he might have died in the blast but then his, "I am fine, Sakura-chan just a little banged up," calmed her down and she ran towards him to take Gaara away from the battlefield.

Through her peripheral vision she saw Kakashi engage Deidara and Sasori go after Naruto. Increasing her speed, she landed a split second before Sasori and destroyed the ground in front of her to deny him traction. Without waiting, she pivoted on her right foot and watched Naruto pass her by on the left, with blood coming out of his ear, "Be careful, your inner membrane is ripped. Hearing and sense of balance will suffer," she warned through the link.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto didn't wait for Sasori to regroup, after hearing Sakura's warning, he went straight at Sasori with a rasengan in both hands. Watching a tail like appendage come at him, he quickly turned to side at the last second before shoving a rasengan in the left hand at Sasori's back.

'_Tch, I missed,'_ he thought due to the adjustments he had to make to compensate for his trailing balance, before he sensed an attack coming from behind him. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he destabilized the rasengan on the ground, while raising his feet straight into the air to do a single handstand. Using the momentum from the dispersed rasengan he turned around on the spot, before grinding the rasengan in his right hand at the tail.

Once he saw the tail destroyed, Naruto quickly put his feet on the ground and landed in a crouched position with a feral smirk on the face. After the tail was destroyed, Sasori had moved away from him immediately, most likely to prepare a second attack.

As he watched Sasori narrow his eyes he swiftly moved from his spot surveying the area get peppered with fire. Keeping an eye on the opponent, he saw the puppet master jumping from his spot after the fire attack. Roughly guessing the landing spot, Naruto put his hands together on the ground, "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld."

As soon as Sasori saw the earth technique, he quickly pulled out a puppet before throwing it in the swamp and jumped off of it to land at another spot.

Seeing him getting ready to land once more, Naruto put his hands out in front of him with palms facing upward, "Wind Release: Warm current," he denied Sasori another landing spot making him fly upwards once more due to the attack, before he turned his palms upside down, "Wind Release: Downburst," while slamming his hands on the ground.

The plan was very simple, not giving the puppeteer an opportunity to land, would make sure that he couldn't use his puppets as a distraction. After he sent Sasori, flying into the air, Naruto wanted to make sure that his next technique would rattle a few wooden compartments. So, moulding wind chakra above his opponents head, he created a small hurricane that slammed from the top and carried him to the ground.

As Sasori landed there was a huge cloud of smoke rising from the ground. Not waiting for an opportunity for Sasori to attack, Naruto jumped high into the air. It was imperative for him to maintain his distance, after his opening gambit with the rasengan had failed. Even though it was unlikely that he would die from the poisons that Sasori had in his arsenal, he didn't want to take a chance testing the theory.

Most of the puppet users fought using poisons and various weapons that they had installed on their puppets. So, the most likely way for Sasori, to kill him would be through either ninjutsu, or impalement. Not wanting to give the depraved man in front of him a chance he maintained his distance from the puppeteer.

Gazing at Sasori, from the apex of his jump, he saw that he was no worse for wear than before the last attack. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Naruto gathered the wind around him once again and vanished from the puppeteer's view. As he observed the feared Akasuna no Sasori, he could see that Sasori was unable to see his movement but just as he suspected, in order to give him some opportunity, Sasori unleashed his puppets around him.

With a scoff, Naruto projected his voice, "I don't think, your toys will help you much," before he pushed the wind at his back to increase his speed and dropped from the sky, slamming an 'Oodama Rasengan' on top of Sasori.

Once the dust cloud cleared, Naruto kept a look out while surveying the damage that he had done to all the puppets that were strewn about. Breaking his reverie, Sasori appeared at his back shoving a poisoned sword through the spine, "My toys," he intoned in a deadly voice, "were at least able to capture you."

"Really?" Naruto asked, as he appeared behind Sasori.

The puppet master saw the person in front of him go up in smoke, only one thought passing through his mind, 'Clone!' before he felt an attack at his back.

Seeing his chance, Naruto pulled out all stops, holding his right hand in front of him with the left stabilizing the right, he weaved his chakra with the help on another clone, before releasing it "Raiton Rasengan." This attack of his was created as homage to his sensei's chidori. It was what Kakashi was trying to achieve, by adding lightning chakra to the rasengan and even though it was only the first stage of the attack, the results were pretty devastating.

The attack hit Sasori in the back becoming bigger and increasing the coverage area, before dragging the feared puppet master 100 meters from the clearing.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

As Naruto was fighting Sasori, Sakura was working on healing Gaara quickly. It was just as she feared, Gaara didn't have external injuries due to the sand shield, but he was hurt on the inside. While she was working on him, her mind kept trying to go back to Naruto fighting Akasuna no Sasori. She wanted to be there with him, helping him beat the other guy but she had a different responsibility to fulfill first, so she had silenced the mental connection with Naruto from her end.

This person lying in front of her was a very important member of the family that she and Naruto were trying to create and so Sakura stayed and healed the Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato. So, deep was she in her thoughts that she was startled when Gaara looked at her, "Thank you."

Sakura understood he was trying to convey his gratitude to her for healing him, "You are welcome Kazekage-sama."

Seeing her smiling at him when just three years ago, he had tried to kill her, Gaara took the chance to apologize, "I am sorry," trying to express his feelings.

Sakura just shook her head and smiled at him, "That's all in the past Kazekage-sama," then looking serious she said, "Right now we have more important things to worry about."

When Gaara raised his eyebrow in question, she elaborated, "Konoha found out about your abduction and Naruto, Kakashi-sensei and I were sent to rescue you."

Seeing Gaara's expression, she was able to discern his next question, regarding how they found out so quickly, "Sorry, you will have to ask Tsunade-shishou regarding that," when Gaara nodded his head, Sakura gently released her breath in relief.

Explaining further she continued, "Right now Naruto is fighting Sasori and Kakashi-sensei is going at it with Deidara," watching his eyes narrow in anger at the name, "Once I am done healing you, please help Kakashi-sensei, while I will help Naruto."

Knowing he was the only one in the group who could keep up with the terrorist bomber, Gaara agreed instantly. He wanted his pound of flesh from the clay eating monster that had tried to destroy his village. So, Gaara patiently waited for Sakura to finish healing him.

As soon as Gaara agreed, Sakura released a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Kazekage-sama," in appreciation.

Shaking his head Gaara said in his usual monotone, "You can call me Gaara, Sakura-san," looking at her surprised expression, he continued, "I think after you saved my life and forgave my past actions, reaching out a hand in friendship is the least I could do."

As soon as she finished healing him, Sakura stood up and grasped Gaara's hand to pull him up. Giving him a bag of food pills, she started walking towards Naruto before she stopped and looked back at Gaara, "I will gladly accept your friendship… Gaara-san."

Seeing the slight twitch of the corner of his mouth, let Sakura know that in Gaara's term that was him being happy and so grinning she turned around activating the tick and disappeared in a burst of speed, happy to finally join Naruto.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto frowned deeply, his last attack should have pulverized Sasori yet here he was standing in front of him once more, though this time there were a lot more broken puppets scattered about everywhere.

"That was a very powerful attack," Sasori said in derision, "To think that you would push me so far as to reveal my masterpiece."

Looking at the puppet standing in front of him, Naruto saw a red haired kid crouching in the back with chakra strings going towards a puppet. Confirming that this was indeed the real one, by remembering Sakura's words regarding Sasori turning his own body into a puppet, he shifted his gaze to the other puppet on the battlefield, recognizing the man through the iron fillings surrounding him, "Masterpiece, my ass," he scorned, "You are just a sick fuck, who not only turned his own body into a puppet, but steals other's bodies to make yourself strong."

Not giving the self-made puppet a chance to respond, Naruto vanished in pure speed, once more keeping his distance from both the puppets. He could see Sasori spreading Sandaime Kazekage's iron fillings all around him to try to stop his attack.

Having no desire to give Sasori, any room to use the iron sand, Naruto readied his own attack, but before he could do anything, he heard Sakura's voice through the link, "Give me wind."

Relieved to hear her voice, Naruto didn't bother to reply. He just increased his speed and sent out bursts of wind. The combination of the fire and wind attack exploded in an inferno, heating the iron sand to molten iron due to the heat generated.

Still circling Sasori like a vulture, Naruto shouted through the link, "Sakura-chan, shockwave," Not waiting for her response he sent condensed wind attacks at the melting iron. As soon as Sakura's fire attack happened there was large shockwave due to the combined assault.

While they were peppering the area with a combination of wind and fire, Naruto asked, "Gaara?"

Increasing the intensity of the fire attack, she replied, "He is fighting Deidara with Kakashi-sensei."

Nodding his head in respite, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, while still running around in circles using the wind to maintain his speed. Seeing an opening he informed Sakura across the link, "Back, fewer filings."

Not missing a step or giving Sasori any chance, to recuperate, Sakura quickly moved at his back. While charging a kunai, she kept an eye on Naruto and his clone keeping the puppet master's attention. Holding the weapon between her thumb and the forefinger, she released the chakra behind it, "Lightning Release: Charged kunai," the kunai disappeared from her view with a shockwave, missing the centre of Sasori's heart by a few centimeters.

"Damn, he found out," she said, speeding away from the spot to avoid the retaliation of iron sand from Sasori, "Moved at the last second."

Naruto watched as Sasori retreated further away from them and released an army of puppets, calling out his secret technique, "Red secret technique: Performance of a hundred puppets," surrounding him from all sides in order to avoid death.

Looking at Sasori in the eyes, even though there was no expression on his face, Naruto knew he was pushed into a corner, so he goaded him, "Scared?"

Taking over, Sakura continued by projecting her voice throughout the clearing, "Of course he is," she laughed mockingly, "For all that he spout's about his great art, at the end of the day, he is just someone who is afraid of dying."

"Well then allow me to send you, on your new journey," Naruto said through half lidded eyes before erasing his presence from Sasori's view, "Sakura-chan, I am going to finish this off, I need you to buy me some time," he told her through the link.

Sakura gave her acquiescence, "That's fine, Naruto but remember, no Rasenshuriken or any of your bigger attacks. We want Sasori's body in one piece, at least the upper part."

Sending his feelings to reassure her, "I know.

Meanwhile, Sakura appeared in front of Sasori, her hands in the shape of ram seal, "Seal Release: Full body protection," with seals appearing throughout her body. Then forming another hand seal she called out, "Level 1 seal release: disc blade," with a circular blade coming out of her boots, raising her 3 inches off the ground.

Keeping her gaze levelled at Sasori, "Now let's dance, puppet" so saying she disappeared from Sasori's view.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Sasori was getting pissed off. He had met opponents who were stronger than him and had beaten them before but never before in his life was he so thoroughly outclassed in terms of speed. He had always relied on subtlety and overwhelming numbers to come out on top, though it wasn't helping him any in this case. He couldn't catch either of them with the iron sand and now the girl was going through his puppet army like knife through butter.

First the boy had systematically destroyed his puppet, Hiroku with that blasted Rasengan and if that wasn't enough he had used a lightning Rasengan to almost finish him off. Sasori couldn't believe that the technique like Rasengan could be used with an element but the results were pretty clear to see when he had to sacrifice his other puppets and even use iron sand to just survive one attack.

Then, the girl had joined in half way through the battle, and almost killed him with her first attack. If he hadn't moved at the last second, Akasuna no Sasori would have been dead without even knowing about it. To say he was afraid would be an understatement. He had never met opponents who could so completely dominate his most prized possessions, especially someone who could annihilate his precious puppet army into pieces.

He hated feeling like this; there was a reason that he had discarded his human body to become a puppet. It was the first time in a very long period where he could say that he genuinely feared for his life. It reminded him that despite discarding the body, there was one part of him that was still flesh and blood, which meant the feelings that he had forgotten about were coming back to distract him.

But he wasn't called Suna's scorpion for nothing, so burning with desire for revenge, Akasuna no Sasori, hunkered down, to bid his time. He couldn't get in close to her, every time he thought he had her, it turned out to be an after image. Watching his surroundings closely, he pulled the third Kazekage even closer to him and surrounded himself with the iron sand, keeping an eye on his opponent with a scorpion's gaze.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

While preparing the attack against Sasori, Naruto watched Sakura go through the army of puppets as if they were playthings. The circular wheel under her feet allowed her to increase her speed to the point where she was leaving afterimages behind her.

Naruto thought, _'I am falling in love with her all over again,'_ as Sakura demolished another puppet. He was really impressed; the full body protection was a new technique that she had created this time. It basically formed bands of metal on her forehead, arms, legs, thighs, stomach and back, literally protecting her from all sides. Every time something was near her, blades would pop out of the metal bands and destroy everything in their path. It was so fast that he couldn't even see anything and he was sure that even Kakashi would have a hard time keeping track of it with the Sharingan as well.

However, it was the reach of the blades that made the technique so deadly. As far as he could observe from the damage that the puppets had taken, the blades seemed to have a reach of 4 feet around her. He didn't know how she came up with the technique because as long as she was using it, there was no way for anyone to fight hand to hand against her.

Before he could think on the technique any further, he was snapped out of his reverie as he heard Sakura's voice in his head, "You ready?"

Looking at Sasori, crouched into a corner, surrounding himself with the iron sand, he replied back through the link, "Yeah, I am ready."

Sakura nodded her head, destroying the last of the puppet army before she saw three Naruto's falling from the sky. Knowing what he was going to do, she moved out of the way, preparing to deal the finishing blow.

As Naruto and his clones on either side of him were falling to the ground, the clone on the left released all of his chakra, "Water Release: Dead Sea creation," right on top of the dome of iron sand surrounding Sasori, before vanishing in smoke. Taking his cue the clone on the right, used wind at his back to speed himself towards the ground, before dispersing in a shower of lightning, "Lightning release: Body of lightning."

Naruto watched as lightning spread throughout the salt water, attacking the iron sand; throwing a scroll on top of the water, he finished the hand seals, "Seal Release: Changing polarity."

Just as Sakura knew would happen, the changing polarity seal, dissolved the control that Sasori had on third's Kazekage's iron sand making it fall uselessly to the ground. They knew that the third Kazekage used magnetism to control his sand, so Naruto just made sure that the polarity of the iron fillings kept changing randomly. The water and the lightning were used to increase the power of the attack so that the polarity change would be even more noticeable. Once that was done, there was no way for the puppet to control his sand and Sasori's last defense was bypassed.

Not waiting for another chance, she appeared on top of the third Kazekage's head, and used her monstrous strength to destroy it into little pieces.

When Sasori, saw the last of his puppet destroyed, he finally saw his chance, as the girl was in the air unable to change directions, "You are finished," he said, moving forward to impale her on the poisoned sword that came out of his right hand.

However, before he could reach her, he felt himself stabbed in the back, "No, you are," from the boy who had destroyed the ability of his most prized possession.

Naruto had thrust the kunai in the back of Sasori's puppet body making sure that it went through the heart in the front. It was the only organic thing on the body due to the blood that was coming out of the opening. Not pulling the knife out yet, he uttered "Hope, you have a grand time in hell."

Sasori chuckled, "I don't think I will be able to go to such a nice place," turning his head slightly he continued, "I never thought, you of all people would be able to defeat me, Jinchuuriki."

Naruto scoffed, "Then you are even more pathetic than I thought," putting a seal paper at the back of Sasori's head to stop him from moving, Naruto came to stand in front of the puppet master along with Sakura, "You think we don't know how your little group operates?"

Watching Sasori, Sakura took over, "We know you have sleeper agents throughout the ninja villages that give you information. Even now, another one from your group is trying to come here and find out information about you."

Sasori nodded his head in understanding. It seemed that Konoha knew more about their organization than they let on, "I see."

Sakura shook her head in negative, "No, you don't but that's of no consequence."

Naruto bent down and took the ring out of Sasori's finger, "I will take this, thank you very much," putting it into a storage scroll for further study.

Knowing that he was bested, Sasori looked at Naruto, "As a reward for beating me, I will tell you something that I know you will want to know."

Before he could go any further he was interrupted by Sakura, "About your informant Kabuto?" Watching his eyes widened in surprise, she continued, "We know about him being your sleeper agent."

To say Sasori was surprised was an understatement; he finally understood that he was defeated by superior opponents, who were even able to trick his information network, "I see, then you should know I am supposed to meet him in 12 days at the Tenchi Bridge."

Nodding his head in thank due to the information, Naruto formed a seal and Sasori's puppet collapsed on the ground. There was no need to keep him alive any longer; they had the information for the next part of their plan, so Naruto had pulled the trigger on the paper seal on Sasori's head that finished him off.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Getting up from the ground, after the gut wrenching nausea had passed away and they had emptied their stomachs contents, Naruto and Sakura just held on to each other. Sakura had her head resting on Naruto's chest feeling his heart still beating at a fast pace, while Naruto had his arms wrapped tightly around Sakura just taking comfort in the fact that they were able to come out of this battle unscathed. Or in Naruto's case relatively unscathed. Still he could feel Sakura's slight shivering in his arms, "Sakura-chan, I am alright."

Sakura though wrapped her arms around him even tighter, "At the beginning, for a second I thought I lost you."

Kissing her on top of the head, Naruto tightened his hold on her waist pulling her closer, "Well, I am here, alive and I have you in my arms. I really can't complain."

Chucking slightly, Sakura's uttered, "Baka," looking up at him she continued, "Don't scare me like that again."

Smiling down at her, Naruto said softly, "Whatever, you say Sakura-chan. We both know that Deidara was the annoying one of the two."

Sasori was one opponent where the combined might of Naruto and Sakura was enough to bring him down fairly quickly because of one simple fact that Naruto was the worst kind of opponent that Sasori could face. After all, overwhelming the enemy with numbers was one thing Naruto had never lacked because of his clones.

Naruto lightly kissed Sakura's forehead, "Let's start cleaning up shall we?"

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, pulling back a little from Naruto's embrace, "First, let me just heal your injury."

Naruto just turned his head to the side, letting Sakura do her magic, "What do you want to hide?"

While concentrating on the injury, she replied, "Nothing much, let's just seal the majority of the iron sand in a scroll. We will see if we can do something with it."

Raising his eyebrow in surprise, "You want to use it?"

As Sakura finished healing him, she stepped back, "Why not? It's not too bad in attacking and defending. We can try to see if something clicks," while looking at him and gauging his reaction.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, "Sure," before looking back towards where they came from, "That guy is still there, trying to get in here."

Sakura knew what Naruto was talking about. Before, she came to join him, she went to the edge of the clearing to set up wards that would not only warn them if somebody was trying to breach the security perimeter, it would also create a high level genjutsu that would trick their opponent into thinking that the destination was farther away. The best part about the setup was that it would only work, when the person was near the wards and as soon someone was near they would be marked, so no matter how much he tried Zetsu wasn't getting near them, "Yeah, I can feel it too. I can't believe he is that persistent."

Naruto understood that Zetsu or the plant guy as he liked to call him had already figured out that it was a genjutsu and he was trying to bypass the wards so that he could observe the battle. He had no doubts in his mind that Kakashi's and Gaara's battle was being recorded for later use. But Naruto and Sakura were not yet ready to give up the game, so they had to take precautions to let people know only what they deemed appropriate. That's why Sakura didn't activate the tick at the beginning. She knew that she would have to heal Gaara and interact with him. So, to avoid suspicion, only Naruto had activated the tick until Sakura was ready to assist him against Sasori. At the moment though it was better to make sure that Zetsu was unable to see anything, so instead of destroying him, they decided to let him live.

Looking at Sakura once more Naruto asked, "So, what do you want to do with him?"

Sakura just shook her head, "Nothing yet," before she turned around and started collecting the iron sand in a scroll, "As long as he is unable to come inside the wards, we don't have a problem."

Without turning around, she continued, "It's not like you don't have chakra to spare if you have to fight again," looking at him playfully, "With Kurama's chakra, your sage mode can last a longer now. You used it for the whole battle and still you are not out of chakra, only fatigued."

As Naruto watched Sakura go back to her work, he called Kakashi through the link, "Sensei, how are things going on your end?"

Hearing Kakashi's voice, Naruto just shook his head, "Just peachy, Naruto."

Chuckling at Kakashi's exasperated tone, he continued, "Well, it's all mangos here. We are finished. You need help?"

Hearing a groan from the other end other, Naruto smiled further before he heard, "No need, we are through as well," Here Naruto heard a pause for a few seconds, "He escaped."

Nodding his head in understanding, even though Kakashi couldn't see his gesture from the other end, "Well, we have the body of Akasuna no Sasori with DNA evidence."

Kakashi replied back, "I will inform the Kazekage. We will be there in 10 minutes."

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Resting on the ground with their backs to a slab of rock that somehow survived Naruto's onslaught Naruto and Sakura were planning for the next stage. Sakura had already collected the blood of Akasuna no Sasori and made sure that it was preserved, so that there would be no chance of Suna gimping out on the money. Of course, they had no doubts that Gaara would make sure that they got their compensation. Still it was better to make sure that they had their bases covered.

Knowing that Kakashi and Gaara could arrive any minute, both of them were heating some rations that they could all eat. After talking it over, Naruto agreed with Sakura's decision to wait in the clearing in order to fill their stomachs and regain their energy before they started the trek to the sand village. This way if they had some unsavoury company along the way, then it would be easier to deal with them.

Before he could contemplate his thoughts any further, Naruto saw the two people that they were waiting on. As they came closer, Naruto and Sakura got up from the ground and Naruto raised his hand in the air, "Hey Gaara," grinning from ear to ear, "You sure gave us a lot of trouble."

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_**Done, do, done, and done. I am happy that I was able to finish this chapter as it gave me a little trouble. I am still having problems making the fight sequences flow smoothly but I am working on it. Hopefully, the confrontation with Akatsuki was to your liking and the way Naruto and Sakura fought using their brains would show you their good points. Please review and let me know what you think.**_

_**Before I leave you to your discretion, I wanted to mention a great story that I recently came across. It's called Naruto: Captured By EdStargazer. It's an absolutely beautiful story with Naruto and Sakura as main characters. One day, when I finish this story I plan on asking his permission to use a similar idea to write another fanfic. If you would like, please give it a try and let him know that there are people waiting for a new chapter from him. Sayonara, for now.**_

_**P.S Thank you to Metal mage for pointing out the obvious mistakes in the story. I totally forgot that the third Kazekage's iron sand was mostly magnetite so it would not turn into glass. For that and for pointing out the lightening and lightning difference thank you. If you can please leave your email for future review so that I can thank you personally. For now though I have edited the chapter.  
><strong>_


	4. Agents of Change

_**Title: One more Time  
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_**Hello folks, I am back . Once again thank you for the reviews. It's feels great to know so many people are reading my story. I feel like I am the king of the world (only in my mind: I wish it was really true.) There were some great suggestions from people that I am keeping in mind as the story moves along. Also, some of you who asked whether Naruto or Sakura would be able to use Mokuton, Sharingan, or Storm release etc. The only thing I can say right now is I am not taking the options off the table but even if I give them those abilities they will never be used as shown in the manga. Personally, I have a lot of abilities in my mind that are way cooler than wood, or the all end all magical red eyes. So, if you are going to take anything out of it, just know that I am making sure Naruto and Sakura will stay unorthodox and by the time I am through with them they will be extremely strong though more importantly they will be skilful. **_

_**Also, I want to thank Metal mage for pointing out the mistakes I made. I have corrected them in earlier chapters. Please let me know if you find any more glaring mistakes. To Demon Fox Teen 21- kudos to you for recognizing Tokiko's attack from Buso Renkin. That's where the idea came from. I just couldn't remember the name of the anime. And to the Weber fan, welcome. We are going drop commando people so hang on to your exoskeleton.  
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_**This chapter took me forever, even now I am not fully satisfied with it but I think it's better to post it before it destroys my mind or something. I had to write 4 different versions of this chapter because it is so important. This is the after fight chapter but there are various things in here that will be very important in the future. So, I wanted to be subtle in my writing, though I don't think I succeeded in that part. The only thing I can do now is to wait for your reviews. So let me know.**_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Naruto or Kishimoto because I think my brain is broken into too many different parts for me to create a good story out of it. That is why I take pleasure from this little piece of fiction by playing in Kishimoto's world. In short, I am not making any money but if you have any to give I am more than willing to take it (Even I have standards).

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><p>***OMT***<p>

On a cloudless night at the border of the Fire Country, the moon and the stars were out in full swing. It was a beautiful sight full of unsung hopes and dreams for the future. It was especially true for the four people sitting under the night sky gazing at the fire between them lost in their own thoughts. After the hard fought battles against Akatsuki to save the Kazekage of Suna, it was a time for contemplation, since the food was being cooked in a small pit fire.

Breaking the silence Naruto spoke, "So, Gaara what happened to you? The last I saw, you were leaving the battlefield with the help of your siblings and now you are the Kazekage?"

Gaara didn't say anything for quite a while, just looking at him with his usual expression, which Naruto found to be a very good poker face, "After our fight I saw how strong you were due to your precious people. I wanted the same recognition as you," looking down at his hands he continued, "But I had done terrible things in the past; in order to atone for my sins I decided to become Kazekage to show them that I was different from the psychopathic murderer they thought of me."

Naruto nodded in understanding, "I think when we get to the village you will see what you have gained due to your change of attitude, Gaara," before he broke out into a smile.

"Gaara-san, I don't think you know how much the people of your village have changed as well," Sakura smiled at Naruto's words.

Tilting the food package on the fire, she saw Gaara waiting on her, "The last time I was in Suna due to the Chuunin Exam, I was part of Tsunade-sama delegation," seeing Gaara nod his head she continued, "When I took a walk around the village, I saw the difference in outlook that villagers had towards you. And that was only two years after your instigation."

"I think it's safe to say, the act of protecting the villagers and saving them will silence even the most zealous critic against you," she finished by showing him her support.

Letting the silence settle in for the moment all four of them were quiet before Naruto interrupted them once more, "Alright, the food is cooked. So who wants what?Opening the lid of the ration pack he continued, "In the first pack we have some gooey stuff that goes down your throat like old guy food," seeing everyone's blank stare on him he quickly opened the other three packages, "Geez, I get it that you guys are hungry but you don't have to stare at me like a pack of wolves. I know I am delicious and all," he teased before deadpanning, "Still I won't let you touch me," then looking at Sakura he smiled, "Except for you Sakura-chan. You can touch me-"

Not letting him finish the sentence Sakura smacked him upside the head, "Baka, just pass the food," while shaking her head at the blatant flirting in front of a Kage and their teacher.

Kakashi just looked on slightly surprised that Sakura didn't do anything more than a little smack. It was little things like this that showed him the maturity of his students. Well when he said maturity it was relatively speaking because Naruto in his mind was still a kid at heart. It was Sakura that grew a lot more than he expected. The Sakura from three years ago would have punched Naruto for the double-entendre he just pulled but this one just took the battlefield humour in her stride, barring the little expressiveness due to her feminine pride.

After Naruto's return from the three year training trip, Kakashi had noticed the relationship between both of his students was different. He couldn't pinpoint his finger on it yet but there was something going on; personally he wouldn't be surprised to hear about them dating each other in the future. Either way he was happy for them, and after observing the damage around the area along with Sasori's body, he couldn't be prouder of them. Taking out an S-rank opponent after only three years of training, especially someone like Akasuna no Sasori was no mean feat.

Before he could contemplate his thoughts any further, he heard Naruto whining, "Aww, Sakura-chan, I think your smack killed a few of my brain cells."

"Nope, that can't happen," Sakura denied, "For me to kill your brain cells, you need to have a brain first."

"How can you say that Sakura-chan, I so do have a brain," Naruto said shocked.

"Could've fooled me."

"Okay let me prove it to you by giving you an example," Naruto turned towards her with a serious expression, "At the moment we are eating this gooey stuff that apparently passes for food but in my mind I am imagining food that is fit for Gods just to get through this. Since, I am using my brain to think about ramen, ergo I have a brain," raising his nose up in the air to show his superiority.

"Yeah, that's not using the brain. It's the bottomless pit you call a stomach," Sakura giggled in response.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto pouted looking at her in betrayal.

She continued ignoring his outburst, "And calling noodle soup that is rich in sodium and low on nutritional value food fit for Gods, just proves my point even further."

Shocked Naruto kept staring at Sakura for a few seconds before he put his hands together in front of him, "Oh, great God of Ramen please excuse her folly, she didn't mean it," then turning towards her he continued, "How could you Sakura-chan. There are people here who could get the wrong impression of the greatest food in the world."

"Gaara, you have never had ramen right?" Seeing his usual expression Naruto kept going, "Don't listen to her, you don't know what you are missing out on until you have tasted the great Ichiraku's ramen."

Getting up from his seat, Naruto moved beside Gaara on the other side of the fire, "The next time you come to Konoha I will introduce you to ramen, then you will see what I am talking about.

Throughout the whole exchange Kakashi just looked on in exasperation at Naruto's insistence on introducing Gaara to ramen. It was strange to him the fascination that Naruto had with his favourite food but it was fine in his book. Everyone had their quirks that they used to cope with stress; Naruto just had one that was a little unorthodox. So, enjoying the banter Hatake Kakashi just looked on as his students continued their meaningful conversations while eating their food.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

After eating the group of three Konoha ninja and one Kazekage of Suna moved from the spot on the battlefield gathering all the evidence. It was imperative that they move as quickly as possible towards Suna, so a hurried pace was set by the four incipient.

While they were running towards the Sand's border, Naruto and Sakura were talking through their link. They had not let either Gaara or Kakashi know about the third member of Akatsuki that was trying to gain access the whole time they were eating. Instead of moving away from the spot immediately they had decided to wait awhile before they left because they wanted to make sure that the leakage of information to Akatsuki was minimal. Simply speaking they wanted to avoid Zetsu from knowing anything about them. As soon as Sakura got felt relief from the continuous chakra drain due to powering the wards they decided to move.

Of course, Naruto and Sakura were not naïve enough to think that Akatsuki didn't have spies in Konoha but the new status for both Naruto and Sakura meant that their files would be more securely guarded so the amount of information the enemy had on them would be minimal. This was all relative of course, since Naruto's files were always supposed to be classified, this time Sakura's and Kakashi's files were not associated with anything lower than Jounin as well so there was less chance of anyone below A-rank reading them.

After their back was secure, they had to make sure that their front was covered as well. By denying Zetsu entry the whole time they were able to buy the time required to make a safe exit without having to worry about hiding their footsteps and then leaving some other hints along the way.

"So, what do you think Sakura-chan? Should we do it?" Naruto asked with some apprehension.

Not saying anything for a few seconds, Sakura shook her head, "I don't know Naruto. I don't see a right answer for this."

"Then we muddle through as always," looking at her he continued, "We give both options then whatever he decides should be good enough."

"But should we even give him the option Naruto? It can backfire spectacularly on us and then we would be in a whole lot of trouble."

Not having an answer, Naruto didn't say anything. He couldn't even if he wanted to because Sakura was right. There was a big chance that the plan would go haywire, it might even put Gaara's life in danger. The crux of the matter was that Naruto and Sakura had the ability to help Gaara with his partner. In effect they could use their expertise to deal with the problem that their friend from Suna had by constructing new seals. They could use the seals to stop the damage that occurs to Gaara's psyche due to Shukaku's bloodlust, which would allow Gaara to sleep without worrying about Shukaku taking over his body.

The caveat was the lack of control Gaara might have over his sand after the sealing procedure. There was a high probability that the young Kazekage might have to train his ability to control the sand. However, the worst part was the automatic defense could be so reliant on Shukaku that with him locked behind Gaara's mindscape; Gaara might not ever be able to manipulate the sand to the same degree, which would actually be counterproductive because there was a very good chance that Akatsuki would come after him once more.

Hearing his thoughts through the bond Sakura nodded her head, "That's why I am reluctant. I know we will be successful in sealing Shukaku properly but with Akatsuki actively hunting, this might spell doom for Gaara."

"But Shukaku was sealed in him before he was born, so the control he has over the sand might be instinctual to him," Naruto said with frustration evident in his tone.

"It might be but what if it's not?" Sakura said pointedly, "The problem is we cannot guarantee that things would come easier to him. The only thing we are sure about is the ability to separate Gaara-san and Shukaku's psyche."

"I still think we should tell him about the option. We have nothing to lose if he doesn't agree."

Not seeing a way out, Sakura sighed in reluctance, "If we do this, are we including the transfer seal?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Naruto took a deep breath and held it in. It was the first reaction Sakura saw on Naruto's face that was visible on the outside and she had a pretty good idea regarding the overt expression. It was one technique that was the most heinous in her arsenal and she loathed it as well, however it was better to discuss it out in the open amongst each than realize it afterword. The technique essentially used the essence of another person in terms of chakra and once activated allowed her to absorb it in her body. In effect she could use the method to make sure, if Gaara was captured in the future by Akatsuki and both of them were unable to help him in time, she could absorb Gaara and Shukaku within her.

As the four shinobi kept leaping from tree to tree, Naruto was on auto-pilot since he heard Sakura's question. He was looking in Sakura's mind in a manner of speaking as she was thinking about the transfer essence technique. However, there was major drawback to that seal, which was more than enough to give him pause. This technique was similar to the assimilation jutsu that Orochimaru used when he had to change bodies every three years. When Sakura absorbed someone she would have to fight for control in her psyche, unlike Orochimaru, Sakura would not take over anyone. She would in principle have to win the fight within her mind against the person; otherwise, she would not survive. No one would take over her body if she didn't win but she wouldn't get a second chance either. If she failed to keep control of her body and assimilate the other person then she would effectively kill herself from the inside.

With the presence of Gaara and Shukaku it will be a double load if it ever came to that and he wasn't sure whether she would be able to succeed or not, "Let's not Sakura-chan. The risk is too great."

"So, we will only use the marking, with a translocation seal," Sakura nodded her head making a mental note to herself.

"And you are okay with this?"

"I can live with it, Naruto. I don't have a better solution either," she shrugged, "When we arrive at a safe spot preferably inside the borders of Suna, then mention it to Gaara-san."

Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto smiled slightly at Sakura. It was a hard decision, which they still weren't sure about but as long as they were together, he knew it would work out somehow. Just because they weren't taking chances at the moment didn't mean they had forgotten their old personalities where they used to run first before thinking about the consequences. It was still there just hidden underneath the layers of knowledge and wisdom. In this case though, whatever Gaara decided they both would honour his decision and help in the best possible way they could by showing their unending support.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto and Gaara were sitting side by side on a dune of sand. They had just crossed the border of River country into Suna an hour ago and Naruto had used the time to explain the situation to Gaara regarding the seal that could better contain Shukaku. Of course, he had also expounded on the potential negative aspects that the improved seal could have. There was no need to mince words in front of his friend and he didn't. Naruto had told him straight up the obvious perks along with the suspicion they had regarding the bond between Gaara and Shukaku.

"You can take your time to think about it, Gaara. There is no need to hurry," looking at him, Naruto smiled slightly, "The option is always available in the future."

Without saying anything Gaara just nodded his head in agreement. Naruto had made it abundantly clear that they could perform the procedure any time so there was no need for him to hurry. But Gaara wasn't sure what to think at the moment. On the one hand he would be able to sleep after a really long time. It was one thing that was always the hardest on him because no matter how used to he was to not sleeping; his body did get tired after a few days. Unlike others he didn't have a chance to rest and recuperate his energy because that was when he was the most vulnerable.

That is why the option of separating Shukaku's psyche from his seemed so appealing to him. However, he was the Kazekage of Suna first, which meant the power that he had needed to be wielded for the defense of the village. If he was unable to defend his village then there was no point to it and this jutsu had the capacity to negate the very ability that defined him into one of the very best ninja in the village. He didn't mind working hard to gain control of the ability to the same level as before but he didn't have the luxury to train for a long time away from the village. He had no doubts that Akatsuki would make another attempt on his life again so he needed to be even more vigilant.

"Is there no way to separate the psyche without messing with the control?" Gaara asked in his usual monotone.

"If there was, I would have told you, Gaara. At the moment this is the best I can give you. I am sorry."

"Then there is nothing that can be done right now. If the Akatsuki's threat wasn't on my shoulder I would have accepted it immediately but I am the village's first and last defense," Gaara looked straight ahead, "As the Kazekage of Suna, I can't allow my personal preference to risk the protection of the village."

Hearing the protectiveness in Gaara's voice, Naruto smiled slightly. He was very proud of Gaara, it seemed that the past three years had been instrumental in changing Gaara from his Genin days, "I had a feeling you would say that."

Looking at him Gaara just nodded his head without saying anything.

"Okay, then here you go," Naruto presented a seal paper to Gaara, "this is the only thing I can do for now."

When he saw Gaara looking at him with a raised eyebrow, Naruto explained, "This is a chakra restrictor seal. You basically pour as much chakra in it as you can and then put it on your forehead."

"The amount of chakra you put in it would be used to stop Shukaku's chakra from mixing with yours," Extending his hand towards Gaara, Naruto offered the seal once more. Before Gaara could say anything he continued, "This will allow you to sleep but the maximum time it would provide is 3 hours and that is only when you put every ounce of your chakra in it before going to bed."

"I see," Gaara said, observing the seal closely, "This will be a double edged sword then?" seeing a questioning look on Naruto's face he explained, "If I pour my chakra in it before sleeping, I would be able to get to sleep easily because I will be tired but there is a higher chance of Shukaku taking over as well."

"Hmm," thinking on Gaara's reasoning Naruto answered, "It's a double edged sword because when you get up you will still be tired just not as much and that is when you will be vulnerable to Shukaku. You don't have to worry about Shukaku taking over the body during your sleep as long as the seal is on you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto got up from sitting on the dune and stretched his legs, "Don't forget Sakura-chan and I can make a new seal for you. That offer is available anytime. At the moment though this is the only thing I can do for you."

"No, you have done more than enough. I will keep your offer in mind," looking at the person in front of him he said a heartfelt, "Naruto, thank you."

"You are most welcome Gaara," Naruto said while smiling at his fellow Jinchuuriki.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

2 days later…

"Man, what the heck is with this sand. How can you guys not have a problem with this?" Naruto griped for what seemed like a hundredth time, which was why no one deemed to give a reply to it.

They were used to his antics by now, even the Suna delegation that had met them yesterday right along the border of Suna and River. As Naruto and Sakura had predicted the shinobi were visibly relieved to see the young Kazekage alive and well, giving Gaara a peace of mind at the acceptance that he wanted from his fellow countrymen.

While Naruto was very happy for the acknowledgement that Gaara received, the presence of so many shinobi also turned out to be one of the worst things that could have happened. It meant that the fast pace that was set by the four of them was halted to a crawl because the other shinobi couldn't keep up the pace for too long. So frequent stops in the desert were the call of the day and the sun high in the sky wasn't helping any due to the extreme heat. Of course, the extreme heat was not a problem for Naruto or Sakura for that matter. The seals were extremely useful in that regard as they had the inside of their haori's lined up with various seals to keep the heat out, thus keeping them cool.

The problem for Naruto was the sand that got everywhere and itched like no tomorrow, which was why he was glad that he lived in Konoha where the trees made sure that sand stayed where it should, "Stupid sand," he muttered under his breath in irritation.

Watching her husband acting like a 12 year old Sakura couldn't help but shake her head. Even after being married for so many years, she wasn't any less amazed at how quickly Naruto was able to forget his actual age and act like a kid. It was so like him that Sakura couldn't help but snigger thinking about his griping about something so small, which in this case was sand when he had been in way more uncomfortable positions. This was a cake walk compared to some of the situation they had been in especially since the inside of the haori separated them from the heat that even the Suna shinobi felt. Except for Gaara it seemed, though Sakura knew that his sand shield made sure the body temperature was regulated properly by not allowing the heat to seep in. Before she could continue her thoughts, she was interrupted by a loud shout from Naruto in her mind.

Coming out of his thoughts, Naruto noticed the Kazekage surrounded by kunoichi from all sides, "Holy shit! Would you look at that Sakura-chan?"

Looking to where Naruto was indicating Sakura just raised her mental eyebrow, "So? He is the Kazekage and you know how some women are drawn to men with power. Perfect example."

"Well, I am strong too Sakura-chan. Were you drawn to me because of that, last time?"

Hearing him she mentally guffawed, "Drawn to you? If I remember correctly, it was you who was after me from the beginning."

"Yeah but eventually you returned my feelings, especially after I defeated Nagato. So, you see you were drawn to my power."

"That was just a pity thank you," Sakura teased, "You had just saved everyone. I thought I should give you a hug at least."

Trying to look serious, Naruto smirked, "Really? Because I remember a girl, who said Naruto you don't need to go after Sasuke. You are not bound by the promise anymore."

"Oh please, that one doesn't count. If I remember correctly you were hurt. As a medical ninja it's my job to keep you alive by hook or by crook."

Stopping Naruto from going on his diatribe, Sakura went on, "Face it, I didn't fall for you. In fact, it's the opposite. You were the one who fell for my charms," watching the raise of his eyebrow, she teased further, "Sakura-chan, your forehead is so pretty, makes me want to kiss it."

He had to give her props; she had his 12 year old voice down pat, at least in his mind. Good thing they were talking through the link otherwise that would have been embarrassing. He was so glad he was growing up quickly and his voice was turning manly because sounding like a squeaky board was just not cool in his book. Watching her smirk after her little voice acting, Naruto quickly took a peek around them. Then looking at her straight in the eyes, giving his thoughts husky tones, he quickly threw her a flying kiss, "I would love to kiss your forehead, Sakura-chan. Every time I look at you I can't help but want to kiss you."

Observing her blush, Naruto just turned around and started walking ahead, while whistling the whole time. They were close to the Sand village because he could see the cut in the rock that signified the entrance of the village.

Meanwhile, Sakura just shook her head to keep the blush out of her face. She couldn't help but curse going through puberty once again. It wasn't her fault that she was feeling turned on, especially after Naruto used his charm as he knew it worked on her every single time, "Stupid Naruto," she muttered. She couldn't wait to get away from everyone then she and Naruto would set some new records by doing the tango together. It's not like they had not done it a million times already so there was no need to wait or anything of the sort. The only delay was to find the time, which for them seemed to be at a premium.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Once she heard the news that the Kazekage could be seen through the ramparts at the entrance of the village, Temari ran out without a thought in her mind. After seeing the state that Kankuro was in, she couldn't help but worry about Gaara. Even though the logical part of her mind knew that Gaara was fine since the shinobi in the village were celebrating the return of their Kazekage, the emotional part within her wouldn't rest until she laid eyes on her younger brother. He was the only support she had at the moment because her other sibling was fighting a battle that he seemed to be losing.

Looking at Gaara seeming alive and well, she ran directly to him and hugged him for everyone to see. Once she felt him hug her back, she couldn't help but tear up at the gesture. Moving back a little so as not to embarrass herself or her Kage further she looked him up and down, "I am so glad you are alright, Gaara."

As was usual for Gaara, he didn't reply to the statement, just looked at Temari with his teal eyes to convey that he was fine. Looking at the entrance to the village behind her, he asked, "How is the village, Temari?"

"The village is fine. We will recover, our losses were severe but-" Temari stopped talking as she saw the Konoha contingent coming up behind.

Gasping she side stepped Gaara and ran towards Sakura, stopping in front of her, "Sakura-san, thank god you are here."

Sakura regarded Temari's dishevelled state, "Temari-san?"

"Please help Kankuro. Shizune-san is unable to help him," she said bowing her head deeply.

Walking forward, Sakura helped Temari rise up, "Temari-san, you don't need to bow to me. I will gladly help. But what exactly is going on?"

"I will explain along the way. Please come."

Nodding her assent, Sakura sped up to keep pace with Temari. In her mind she heard Naruto's "I will explain things to Gaara," to which she just sent her thanks.

"Kankurou, was poisoned by Akasuna no Sasori, while he tried to stop them from taking Gaara. We arrived today morning and Shizune-san has been working continuously on him but he is not getting better," Temari said it all in one breath.

Bobbing her head to show that she was listening, Sakura listened further, "I don't know too much I am afraid. I was outside waiting for the news."

Arriving at the medical building Sakura reassured Temari, "Don't worry Temari-san. I will see what I can do."

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Shizune was working on keeping her patient alive. If she had arrived just a day earlier, it would have been so much easier, right now though, it felt like she was fighting a losing battle. The poison had spread through the body, which made it worse as it was shutting down the organs of the body in a systematic way. Somehow she was able to keep him alive but she knew that the procedure would only be effective to a certain extent and pretty soon she would run out of chakra, which would spell doom for the Kazekage's brother.

The opening of the door interrupted her from her thought before she took a good look at the individual who had just entered. Seeing an old lady walking in she had half a mind to tell the other medics in the room to walk her out, however due to the deference shown by them, she held her tongue. It was most likely some high-up from Suna's council, so she kept her thoughts to herself and focussed on keeping Kankurou alive a little longer.

"I see that my grandson was finally able to surpass me, if even the slug princess's apprentice is having trouble healing the scorpion's sting."

Getting irritated at the insult, Shizune held her temper though her voice was still clipped, "And you are?"

Gazing at the medic dispassionately, the old lady said, "I am Chiyo. Akasuna no Sasori's grandmother."

Shocked at hearing those words, Shizune couldn't help but gasp. The person standing in front of her was one of the few people who Senju Tsunade respected. She had broken quite a few of her poisons on the battlefield during the second great shinobi war. Before she could say anything, the door opened once more. Once she saw her kouhai enter the room, Shizune couldn't help but feel relieved, "Sakura thank god you are here."

Bowing her head, "Shizune-san, I came here as soon as Temari-san told me," Walking up to Kankurou, she could see the sweat accumulated throughout his body, along with the strain that Shizune felt as she was barely keeping him alive unable to do anything else. Getting into business mode she asked, "What's the status?"

"Patient is strongly drugged but we haven't been able to find an antidote yet. I am keeping him alive through Chakra transfusion but it's not doing anything," Shizune said clearly.

"What's the poison's type?" Sakura asked while looking at the patient's chart.

"Haemolytic converter, using blood to reach the organs followed by systematic shut down starting from kidneys, liver, stomach, lungs, brain and heart."

Nodding her head, "Slow poison is it? What's the plan Shizune-san?" Sakura asked while checking Kankurou's eyes.

"We bring his body temperature down to freezing, extract the poisoned blood and then inject from transfusion packs." Shizune pointed towards the ice cooler. Watching Sakura's expression she could see her frowning, "You don't agree?"

"He won't survive the lowering of his body temperature."

"I think together we can keep him alive, Sakura."

Thinking on it some more, Sakura said, "I have a better idea Shizune-senpai," seeing the question on her face, she continued, "I can manipulate the poison and bring it out."

Shizune was surprised at hearing that Sakura was able to use the skill where a medic can bring the poison out of the person through manipulation of blood. It was a skill that was unheard of before Tsunade was able to perfect it. Even then she didn't use it a lot because it was very demanding on the medic and there were better ways to eject the poison from the body. However, when the toxin was so thoroughly spread through the body that there was no better way than draining the rest of the blood out before injecting new blood into the patient, this procedure was used. This was one skill where she was unable to make progress because she was couldn't visualize the flow of particulates in the blood. The technique required the recognition of the poison from the minute particles in the blood and then bringing them together to drag it out of the skin using osmosis.

That Sakura was able to use the technique spoke volumes about her ability in terms of medical ninjutsu, so nodding her head she said, "Do you really think you can do this?"

Knowing Shizune was talking about the chance that she might lose control and make the situation worse, Sakura tried to reassure her senpai, "Trust me, I can."

Without saying anything she just nodded her head and moved out of the way, in order for Sakura to take charge and start the procedure.

"Senpai, you will do the blood transfusions?" Seeing her nod her head in acquiescence, Sakura looked around at the other medical staff in the room.

"I need 300 cc of anaesthetic;" looking at one after another she gave out instructions, "take care of electrolyte balance during the blood transfusion, bring me a pan filled with cold water, antiseptic, be ready with the beakers to pour the poison and keep them separated by body part," gazing at the rest of the medics, "you guys will hold him down so that he doesn't move."

Watching everyone go about their way to accomplish the task, Sakura looked at Shizune, "Are you ready, Senpai?"

Nodding her head, Shizune got the transfusion pack ready, "I am."

"Okay then, here goes nothing."

4 hours later…

The door to the operation room opened and Sakura walked out with Shizune in tow. They both looked exhausted though Sakura was holding it better considering Shizune looked dead on her feet. Watching both of them, Naruto saw Sakura answering the questions of Gaara and Temari, so approaching Hokage's first apprentice, Naruto handed her a glass of water. Seeing her nod her head in thanks while taking the glass from his hands, Naruto used a scroll to bring out a loaf of bread with some miso to dip it in. Looking at her surprised expression, he just chuckled and made her hold it while he dragged her to a chair in the corner to eat in silence.

"Thank you Naruto-kun," Shizune said in gratitude for the food.

Smiling at her he replied, "You are welcome, neechan. You eat in peace and get your energy back," then he teasingly continued, "I will be back to check on you later."

Smiling at his antics to keep her distracted Shizune just shook her head, watching him walk towards Sakura to apparently to save her from the Sabaku family's questions.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

In the middle of the sand village sat a dome like structure where the Kage of the village presided. Sitting in his seat as the leader of the village, Gaara looked at the members of Team Gai that had just arrived in the village. Apparently, the Hokage of Konoha had decided to back Team Kakashi in case they required more manpower. In the room with him he had Temari standing behind him on his right, while the elder of the village Chiyo was standing beside the window on his left looking out over the village. At the moment things were a little tense due to Kankurou's poisoning. Even though he was not in danger of dying just yet, he still needed the antidote in order to survive.

Raising his head towards the door when he heard a knock, Gaara intoned, "Come in."

Opening the door Naruto came into the Kazekage's office, followed by Sakura. Looking at the people gathered there Naruto's eyes fell on Team Gai, "Hey guys."

Before the greetings could continue Sakura went up to Gaara to present the report, "We have the antidote. Shizune-san is delivering it to Kankuro-san as we speak."

Temari released her breath she wasn't aware she had been holding, while grabbing the back of Gaara's seat tightly with her fingers she said, "Thank you Sakura-san."

Nodding his head Gaara took over, "Yes, our family is in your debt. If you need any help we will do everything in our power to help."

"There is no need for that Gaara-san," Sakura smiled, "We are friends and friends help each other out when they are in trouble."

Hearing Sakura's words Gai, interrupted the conversation, "Well said Sakura-kun. Your youthful words inspire us all to stoke our flames in order to help others."

"Thank you Gai-sensei."

"So," Chiyo said quietly from the corner still facing the window looking out into the village, "You were successful in not only killing my grandson but breaking his poison down to make an antidote out of it."

Knowing Chiyo was conflicted in her emotions, regarding her love for her grandson and loyalty to the village, Naruto leapt in the conversation, "Of course, we did Baachan," watching her face as she looked towards him he continued, "We are making sure the past that you old farts created is not repeated by us or the future generations."

"That's right, Chiyo-sama," Sakura took over, "Well not so much in words that he put it in but the feelings are similar," she said pointing at Naruto.

"Never before had Suna and Konoha been in such a close relationship. By the time Naruto takes over from Tsunade-shishou, there is no doubt in my mind that other villages will look at our example as the pinnacle of friendship."

Then looking at Chiyo with a serious expression, Sakura lowered her voice, "I personally had no problem with your grandson. But when he made his bed with the enemy his life was forfeit. I don't care if they are the strongest people in the world, if they come after Naruto, then I will destroy each and every one of them."

Naruto stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder calming her down after her little outburst, "Gaara, don't count yourself out of that alright? You made her your friend as well and trust me when I say this, if you ever need any help just call alright. We will both be here."

Keeping an eye on the Kazekage, Chiyo saw the slight twitch on his face that showed his happiness. Sighing at the camaraderie shown out of the battlefield she smiled as well, "Maybe you are right Sakura. Your generation might be able to bring us out of the darkness that we old fools created."

"We will do everything in our power to achieve that goal, Baachan," Naruto answered for Sakura.

Shaking her head Chiyo looked at Sakura, "That master of yours is very lucky. She might be called the greatest sucker due to her gambling skills but when it comes to taking on students she might have the devil's luck."

Knowing the compliment that Chiyo just gave regarding her medical skills, Sakura bowed her head, "Thank you Chiyo-sama."

Moving towards the door Chiyo nodded, "You both will receive the bounty for killing Sasori from my personal funds," before opening the door she looked back towards the pink haired Jounin, "And Sakura keep up that chivalrous spirit. There are not many kunoichi who can talk about going head to head with S-rank criminals without fear. You remind me of myself when I was your age."

Walking out the door she continued speaking, "Keep growing and protecting those you deem important. It will help you go far along the way."

Once the door closed behind Chiyo's departure, Temari broke the silence, when she looked at Sakura with awe in her voice, "I have never seen her compliment another person before, especially someone from another village."

Showing his assent, Gaara nodded his head, "Once she might have even attacked you for taking away the chance from her to bring her grandson back, instead she placed her faith with you."

"You are very lucky, Sakura-san," Temari said seeing her confusion she elaborated, "There are not many people in the world who can say they carry the will of both Senju Tsunade from Konoha and Chiyo from Suna, especially since both of them have been enemies on the battlefield before."

Nodding her head in understanding, Sakura smiled slightly, "Then it means that both of them are able to see the world created by old grudges and wish for it to be different."

"Yeah, that's why we have to do everything in our power to light the way so that the rest of the world can follow," Naruto said with pride evident at Sakura's accomplishment.

Stepping forward Gai looked at the group of people gathered there, "And I think we have started on the right foot. With the Kazekage safe from Akatsuki's clutches for now and the friendship between our two villages at a new high, it's safe to say that you just might achieve this insurmountable task with your youthfulness."

At hearing that everyone just looked at each other and smiled. There was nothing more to be said at the moment because their thoughts were one. The rule that Haku taught Naruto during the wave mission was coming to light in front of them. Before it was about individuals becoming strong for the sake of protecting their precious people but now the emphasis was on villages coming together to create a line of protection to be able to protect themselves from not just the might of Akatsuki but other evils that lurked in their world.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Later on at night…

In the honour of Team Kakashi for protecting Gaara and saving Kankurou's life, the Suna ninja threw a party for the Konoha contingent. After the antidote was prepared and administered, the puppet user's life was not in danger any more. However, Shizune was still at the hospital keeping an eye on the patient in case some complications arose. At the moment the ninja were seated in a restaurant in Suna enjoying the night life among friends. This gave Naruto the opportunity to greet Team Gai properly and get to know them once more.

"So, you have been promoted to Tokubetsu Jounin, straight from Genin?" Tenten asked in an awed voice.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Man I am so envious of you both. You got to train with Jiraiya-sama and Sakura got training under Tsunade-sama, no wonder you both are strong."

Shaking his head Neji budged in, "That's not right Tenten. They didn't get strong just because they were studying under Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama."

"That's right," Kakashi interrupted Neji, "Both Naruto and Sakura had an intense desire to be strong from the beginning. They just never put in the work to make it happen," looking at the rainclouds on both their heads, Kakashi eye-smiled, "Since, Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama were able to dedicate their time both of them in turn found their motivation and goals in life. This is why they both were able to advance so quickly."

"Now with your first victory against Akatsuki in taking down an S-rank opponent your fame would only grow," Gai said looking at Naruto and Sakura, showing all his teeth during the smile.

Thankfully, Naruto was saved from saying anything due to a loud declaration by the taijutsu master's apprentice, "Yosh, Naruto-kun, your flames of youth have inspired me to increase my training even further and become a Jounin myself."

"That's the spirit, Lee," The teacher shouted getting into an assertion war with his student.

"And if I cannot do that then I will crab walk around Konoha 500 times."

"Yosh, if I can't help you achieve your goal, then I will walk around Konoha on my thumbs a 1000 times." Gai yelled with a large declaration.

Ignoring the duo's ridiculous declarations, Kakashi continued with his earlier statement, "What I was trying to say before I was interrupted by your teacher is that both Naruto and Sakura have found their niche but they never let it be the only thing that defines them."

Seeing the questioning looks from Neji and Tenten, he continued, "Both of them have mastery of seals and both of them are adept at using multiple elements, along with their substantial taijutsu skills they are only getting better."

Before the sane pair in Team Gai could ask another question, the aforementioned leader of the group started talking, "Naruto-kun, since you got your promotion, this is your first mission correct?"

When Naruto nodded his head he continued, "And am I wrong in saying that you have never been to the Jounin lounge?"

Watching the rest of the people in the restaurant, Naruto saw Kakashi, Neji and Sakura sit up straight at that question. Raising his eyebrow at the actions of the three Jounin, he just shook his head in negative.

Quickly sending his thoughts to Sakura, he asked, "What's going on Sakura-chan?"

"It's a tradition Naruto. Apparently they ask every newly promoted Jounin this question. I got asked as well."

Gai saw Naruto's expression of confusion and smiled to reassure him, "Don't worry Naruto-kun. It's just a tradition when you get promoted to Jounin," getting an uncertain nod from the blonde, he went on, "How strong do you think you are?"

At hearing the question Naruto wanted to smack his head on the table, "This is the question?" He asked Sakura through the link.

Getting a mental nod from her, "Chouji asked me the same question," At another nod, he sighed, "So what did you answer?"

"Give it to them straight up Naruto. Don't need to mince words."

At hearing her answer, Naruto looked straight at Gai, "That question is too easy Gai-sensei. In terms of strength there is only one person in the village who can match my power and skill."

The serious look on Naruto's face said it all, yet Gai had a hard time coming to terms with it. There was no boasting or bravado from the blonde, he didn't exaggerate anything, it was a very simple statement but the impact it left was very strong. Even Kakashi seemed surprised at the answer, and he should be because the wordings were exactly the same as uttered by someone else who was sitting at the table.

Looking at Sakura's face, Gai could see a slight smile on her face, "He didn't hear those words from my mouth, Gai-sensei."

Naruto noted the wording that Sakura used and smirked slightly. She didn't lie to anyone at the table, since it was true that she didn't tell him the words through her mouth. The telepathy was a secret from everyone so there would be no jumping to conclusions regarding that front, "She didn't need to tell me anything Gai-sensei," shaking his head, he shrugged, "I am not lying when I say this, the only person who can match me is Sakura-chan."

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity Sakura spread the marking seals around to make sure Tenten, Neji and Lee were marked. They would have to think of some other plan to mark Gai-sensei because it was too big a risk at the moment. While Naruto was keeping everyone distracted she used the blood from her fingers to mould it in the shape of seals onto the people around them.

"Those are some big words, Naruto-kun. There are plenty of people in the village who would take offense to what you said."

"It doesn't matter. If you are telling me there is someone in the village who can win a head on fight with Jiraiya-sensei, I would love to meet this person," Naruto said before quickly rectifying his mistake, "Except for Baachan, of course."

"Baachan?"

Hearing the confusion in Gai's voice, Sakura set the record straight, "He is talking about Tsunade-shishou."

Hearing the disrespect to the one person she admired most Tenten stood up from her seat, "You call Tsunade-sama, Baachan? How can you be so disrespectful?"

Cleaning out his ear due to the loud voice from Tenten, Naruto just shrugged, "What? She is old, just because she is beautiful doesn't mean she is not a Baachan," though in his mind he went on, _'And I am the only one who can even call her that, considering she has Uzumaki blood in her as well.'_

Gai just looked at Kakashi in surprise, though seeing his nonchalant expression he accepted the fact that this newly promoted sixteen year old kid was able to get away with calling the Hokage 'Baachan,' though he supposed it shouldn't be a surprise to him since this was the same person who used to call Sandaime-sama, 'jiji'.

Getting back to the conversation, Gai asked, "So you think you can match Jiraiya-sama in a fight?"

"Yeah," Naruto uttered with confidence. There was no need to say anything else; no explanation was needed because Gai got the message. Uzumaki Naruto really believed that he was capable of going toe to toe with one of the Sannin.

Nodding his head in assent, Gai was unable to say anything. There was no way he could prove, whether Naruto was telling the truth or not. At least not right now though he had a feeling, in time it will start becoming abundantly clear that Naruto and Sakura would surpass anyone that came before them. So, believing in the younger shinobi's words Gai smiled and raised a glass of Sake to make a toast, making sure that Lee only had water in his cup to welcome the newest member of the Jounin family.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Next day…

"You did this?" Naruto asked Sakura telepathically, as they were running across the sand to go towards the fire country.

"Yeah," Sakura answered, "How else do you think we could have gotten away?"

"Was the scroll fake?"

"No, it was real."

"And you don't think Baachan would get suspicious? Especially since we just had our first major kill?"

Getting a little irritated at the questions, Sakura snapped, "Naruto, you know I have a plan for that as well."

"Easy, Sakura-chan," he said sending calming thoughts through the link, "I am just making sure that we have our bases covered," then getting serious he continued, "We can't afford mistakes."

Taking a deep breath Sakura calmed herself, "I know. I am sorry."

"No, that's okay. I know you are stressed regarding the first ritual."

Sakura didn't say anything in response she knew it was true. Today was the eighth day, in just two more days the ritual would begin and she would go through her transformation once more. The worst part was hoping there were no mistakes this time. There were no second chances; she didn't know what the effect of going through time would have on the ritual or if it would even influence things. This was literally a do or die time, since a failed jutsu would result in her demise in the most grotesque ways possible. However, if she was successful then there was no limit to what she would be able to accomplish. Focussing on that Sakura just looked straight ahead and concentrated on getting some distance from Suna.

When he didn't hear a reply from Sakura, it was clear to him that she was going through her checklist to make sure everything worked out fine. He was worried and scared as well but there was nothing he could do that would help with her nerves. They both were leaving Suna at top speed so that they could get away from prying eyes. Once they felt there was no one watching them then they could cover the distance far more quickly without giving away any secrets.

Thinking back on it everything was going according to plan. Right before they were supposed to leave in the morning, they received a messenger bird from Konoha. It was an order from Tsunade for Naruto and Sakura to immediately trek back to fire country in order to meet the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni as soon as possible. Everyone was of course surprised to know that the leader of the Fire country himself had asked for the two younger shinobi since they hadn't had a chance to make a name for themselves yet.

"Sakura-chan, how did you get the Daimyo himself to send the note?" Naruto asked in curiosity.

Coming out of her deep thoughts, Sakura answered, "When I went to the capital for a mission, I infiltrated the compound where he resides."

"So, he is under control?"

"Yeah," she nodded her head, "though he is marked just as heavily as the rest, right now he only has remembrance seal activated. Everyone around him have the seals activated to make sure we don't have a problem."

Narrowing his eyes he asked, "The guardians?"

"That was the hardest part, especially this guy named Chiriku. He was no joke. I had to delay my operation by 2 days because I had to prepare to deal with him."

Nodding his head Naruto didn't say anything for a few seconds. Sakura marking the Daimyo made sure that Danzo would never be able to come into the picture, which was comforting as it stopped an avenue for the greasy bastard to interfere with their plans. The main reason was to receive a chance to get away from fire country so that Sakura could complete her ritual on time. However, there was a perk to that as well, since they were going to the Fire capital and meeting with the Daimyo, it was to be expected that the news would spread throughout the capital. It was not every day that Daimyo himself asked for two ninja to present themselves in front of him.

"So, how is this going to work?"

Shrugging Sakura answered, "We go to the capital. Meet the Daimyo, he invites us to stay in his palace and we become friends."

"And we ask him to lie for us to Baachan," Naruto deadpanned at Sakura's wording.

"No, we will be asked by the Guardian of the Fire temple to train with them so the time would be spent indoors away from prying eyes."

Shaking his head at the simplicity of the plan, he asked, "And what about spies?"

"Your clones will have to take care of the diversion, until we can return to the capital."

This part would not be easy for Naruto. The technique that Sakura was going to unleash would disperse a lot of energy, so they needed to find a place away from everyone where no one would be able to figure out what was going on. So, the plan was to leave the capital during the night on the same day as their arrival and arrive at Whirlpool country. Since, the destruction of the homeland of the Uzumaki's the place was a desolate mausoleum, which made it perfect for them.

Interrupting his thoughts, he heard Sakura ask, "How much further do you want to go?"

Sensing the landscape around him with his Sage mode on, he answered, "2 km up ahead. We should be far enough."

Nodding her head, Sakura didn't say anything for a while. Naruto could see that she was lost in her thoughts once more though whatever it was seemed serious enough that she was hiding her thoughts from him. Giving her the privacy that she wanted Naruto instead focused on the plan. He hoped that Kurama would come to understand the importance of the merger between the two of them. It was a very good opportunity to make sure that his weaknesses were covered, and it was only possible if his partner was willing to trust him.

Once, they reached the 2 km mark both of them stopped, getting ready to leave the area. However, Naruto saw Sakura hesitating about something. He could see her frowning and it was clear to him that she was trying to say something. Making it easier for her, he asked, "What is it Sakura-chan?"

Raising her eyes to Naruto's level, Sakura tentatively said, "I don't know if we will get the time after this, so I just want to make sure of one thing," taking a deep breath she plunged on, "If I fail, I want you to promise me that you will keep on living."

Hearing that, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, which didn't last long once her words registered in his mind, and then he got extremely angry, "Don't even joke about stuff like that."

Getting close to her he held on to her tightly, "There is no Naruto without Sakura, it's that simple."

"But-"

"No!" he exclaimed vehemently, "If you want to see me live then you better succeed because I will be in the ritual circle beside you."

Taking a step back to look at his face, it was Sakura's turn to be surprised, "No, absolutely not. You are not getting in the circle."

"It's not your choice, Sakura-chan. I have already decided."

Getting angry, Sakura asked, "And what about Kurama? What about the goals that we set for ourselves? You have a damn good chance this time to make sure peace is attained. You did it on your own last time didn't you?"

"That was last time dammit. I don't care about any of that if you are not here with me," holding on to her hands tightly he continued, "I told you before as well, this is not like last time. 'We' will do it together. Everyone will know about Naruto and Sakura otherwise it's meaningless."

"You can't do that, Naruto. Too many people are relying on you dammit. What about Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama huh?"

Getting tired of the conversation, Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself down, "Look Sakura-chan, I am not leaving you alone and that's final," showing the seriousness of the situation, he held her in his arms, "You have no other choice, except to succeed."

He knew why she was scared, especially after he told her that he will join her during the ritual. There was a chance that Sakura might fail in her endeavour and be killed, which would spell doom for him as well. However, if she was successful and Naruto was able to convince Kurama that it was better for them to merge, then the connection between Naruto and Sakura would increase 100 fold.

Holding on to him even tighter, Sakura just listened to him, "So, forget thinking about not succeeding or something. I am here with you all the way, in this world and the next."

Taking a step back from her, "Please don't cry anymore, we are going to see the Daimyo after all," he said wiping her tears away.

Seeing her trying to tame her hair and reduce the puffiness of the eyes, he laughed lightly, "Just tell me when you are ready, Sakura-chan. Though I don't think you need to do any of that. The daimyo wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of you as it is."

Shaking her head in amusement, she laughed slightly, "Baka."

Taking her hand in his, Naruto pulled her close to him once more, "Ready?" Once he received a head nod to signify her compliance, Naruto concentrated on the target where he was supposed to appear. Of course, both of them could have used the technique but Naruto thought in the condition that Sakura was in at the moment it was better for him to make sure they arrived in one piece. So, once again the elemental nations were introduced to the fearsome technique that gave the Fourth Hokage his reputation. Except this time, there was no flash; there was no noise, there was no indication of anything. One minute they were there and next there was nobody, just an empty desert.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Arriving just 2 kilometers out of the capital, in an underground chamber, Naruto and Sakura separated. This was the first time that Naruto had come to this particular hideout, since it was constructed by Sakura just 10 months ago when she was in the capital. Looking around he could feel the same wards in the walls as they had at her house. However, they still didn't say anything knowing the one weakness that underground chambers had, so to avoid suspicion both just sensed their surroundings to know the right time to escape out.

Since, he still had the sage mode on; Naruto was able to sweep the surrounding countryside, "We are clear."

Hearing the confirmation from Naruto, she opened the door to the entrance and they quickly stepped out. After covering the entrance with doton jutsu and spreading the soil evenly both of them departed the area in order to avoid being seen by anyone. Following the route from Suna they got back on track and started running the remaining distance to the capital, making sure that they were seen by as many people as possible along the way.

Once they arrived at the entrance to the palace of the Fire Daimyo, they found two people standing at the gates waiting for them.

"The bald one is the monk guardian, Chiriku that I was talking about and the other person is Hamano Shinichiro, senior aide to the Daimyo," Sakura quickly supplied through the link.

Stopping in front of the palace, both of them bowed to the two people waiting on them, "Welcome back, Sakura-san," The senior staffer to the Daimyo greeted her.

"Thank you Hamano-san, it's good to be back."

"And this must be your partner that you talked about, the last time you were here," he said appraising Naruto from top to bottom.

'He must have found what he was looking for,' Naruto thought inwardly, as he saw the change in facial expression, "I am Uzumaki Naruto."

"Welcome to you as well, Uzumaki-san," Hamano said, "I have heard a lot of things about you."

Looking at both of them he continued, "Sorry about the short notice, since he heard of your victory against such a distinguished shinobi, the Daimyo was insistent on calling you here."

"That is alright, Hamano-san. We are here to serve," Sakura said politely then turning towards the monk she bowed once more, "Hello, Chiriku-san? Have the 12 ninja guardians been called back?"

Knowing she was talking about his presence, he replied, "No, Sakura-san, I was just here on an errand when I heard that you were coming. So, I stayed to see if you have improved or not."

Smiling Sakura just nodded her head in acceptance. Inwardly, she was pleased as the presence of Chiriku meant that the plan was working properly. Training with the previous ninja Guardian would make sure that people didn't ask too many questions and provide them the time they needed to complete the ritual.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, shall we go inside?" Naruto heard from the one called Hamano.

Nodding their heads in agreement both of them stepped behind the ninja guardian Chiriku and the palace staffer, Shinichiro. Keeping a lookout as they made their way across the palace they identified several people who looked suspicious to their trained eyes. Making sure they had the spies listed in their minds, they were comparing notes to keep track of the things that each had missed. It was an important part of the plan since Naruto's clones would be running around the palace, running distractions to lead any annoying plants away from them. So, keeping vigilant both Naruto and Sakura entered the chamber of the Daimyo.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Later at night…

"I don't like the Daimyo any less this time, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with a little disgust in his mind, "He is weak-willed and lazy. Worst of all he is a coward."

Nodding her head in agreement, she placed her hand on top of his, "I know. But it's not important at the moment. He is needed for now."

"Yeah," he said, "I don't feel nearly as bad about controlling him after I met him."

Smirking slightly, she looked around the room that was presented to them as the guests of the Daimyo. Without any prompting both of them decided to observe the room for any discrepancies. There was no doubt in their mind that the room was bugged, so they took the precaution of clearing it up.

Thinking about their next destination, Sakura hesitantly asked through the link, "Naruto, are you okay with us going to Whirlpool?"

Without stopping his search he answered, "Yeah, Sakura-chan, I know my ancestors came from that place but it's all in the past. It's not a problem for me."

Smiling slightly to reassure her he continued, "Besides, even in the other time, we never had a chance to go there and spend any time. After the ritual, we will look around the place, who knows we might find something."

"I hope we can find something that you can hold dear Naruto but I don't think we will be that lucky."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's been too long and it seemed to be a famous village so I am pretty sure it has been raided top to bottom," Shrugging his shoulders slightly he went on, "Still nothing wrong with being optimistic."

Exactly, those words were the key to the continued survival of Uzumaki Naruto. You don't find anything by crying and moaning about it. So, keeping his words close to her heart, Sakura smiled proudly at Naruto. She was going to the place where her husband's ancestors were born, as she was married into the family, she guessed that it was considered a part of her as well. The future generation of Uzumaki's would still be able to trace their roots to the place.

After finishing the search and disabling the monitoring equipment inside the room, Naruto constructed two clones. There were 100 clones spread throughout the city to create mayhem until both Naruto and Sakura arrived back at the capital. So, once the preparations were complete and their doppelgangers took their place inside the room, it was time to leave.

Looking at one another and counting from three, both of them vanished without a sound, just like before, leaving behind their clones.

Arriving on the island of whirlpool, both of them hid themselves promptly to make sure the place was isolated. While Sakura was keeping an eye around the area, Naruto was sitting in a meditating pose sensing the area around them. Sakura had been to this place only once before and she didn't have the time to look around. In order to find an isolated place she had decided on the destroyed village of whirlpool during her preparations for the jutsu. Using the moonlight to look around the place, she could see the destruction of the village through the grounding of the village spires. Everything was razed to the ground, which she supposed was the work of bandits and the like.

Going through Sakura's thought process; Naruto went behind her wrapping his arms around her, still in sage mode, "There is no one here, Sakura-chan."

Hearing a little melancholy in his mind, she sent her feelings of love to him. There was nothing for her to say except be there for him and bring him out of his sadness. Holding on to him she put her weight on him and relaxed.

In a sense it was surreal, here they were two people away from civilization in a place that was a mausoleum for the past enjoying each other's company, while listening to the waves crashing behind them. Thinking about the setting around her, Sakura said, "Maybe, when we are in power, we can help this place?"

Sensing his confusion through the link, she continued, "Maybe make this place, part of Konoha's territory. If that won't be possible then we can construct a proper resting ground for the countless who died trying to protect this place."

"I would like that Sakura-chan. I am sure my mother would have liked that as well."

Turning around in his arms, Sakura looked at him, "Then I will do everything in my power to make it happen," Standing on her toes she kissed him.

Once she was satisfied that Naruto was out of his funk, she backed up a step, "Let's start by going through the place really quickly. Then we need to start laying out the ritual circle and the wards."

Nodding his head in agreement, knowing the amount of preparation that needed to be completed in 1 day, Naruto started by making a 200 clones and spreading them throughout the place.

In the meantime, Sakura took a walk around to find a place that was open enough to spread a sealing circle around. Since, this was the place that was attacked for their mastery of the art; she had no doubt in her mind she would find one pretty quickly.

Thus, our two heroes set about the various tasks that they needed to complete in order to finish the preparation before day 10 arrived. While the rest of the world slept on in ignorance, not knowing that a day later, the very destiny of the elemental nations will change.

It is said that agents of change are usually people that live in the future except most do not know when the future turns into the present as it moves along. Now though the change would not only be felt throughout the world but seen as well. It was just a matter of understanding that a new world order was being constructed, where old grudges would be left with no ground to stand on. The forefront of the movement would be spearheaded by two people that would defy the very laws by which the world was governed. In very simple terms, it was the quiet before the storm, except there were no ripples in the water to let others get any warnings. For now though, the night went on…

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_**Well there you have it folks. I know it is a transitional chapter but it's important. Some of you might even see the important parts though I wonder if my writing is clear enough for it to show. There are some parts where I had to hurry so to speak because expounding them gave out too much information.  
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_**The next chapter is already in the works and it will be another doozy because we are going straight into the technique that I have been talking about. Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long for it. I know some of you might be hoping for a lot more fight but please bear with me. I assure you this story will have more than enough fights however, it won't be any fun if the story is left behind.  
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_** Let me know of any mistakes you come across. We are going towards world domination people and the show is just beginning.**_

_**Once again thank you for reading the chapter. Let me know how it was. Please review. Kyi-Ragkiril out.  
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	5. Meeting of Chance

_**Title: One More Time**_

_**Hi guys, sorry about the late timing of this chapter. I got into an accident last week, which basically left me hospitalized. I am back in my house so I thought I should quickly post this chapter to get it out of the way. I have proof read the chapter while I was on painkiller, hopefully I didn't leave any glaring mistakes. Let me know if you find anything.**_

_**Also, sorry about not replying to any of the reviews from the last chapter. As soon as I feel better I will get right on it. Please be patient if I don't post a chapter next week. I will certainly try to keep the schedule to a chapter a week at the very least. Well on to the chapter. Also, there might be a point in this chapter where you might think that I have gone off the deep end but seriously, read the other chapters as well. I am not writing a story with dues ex machina so if you think for a second that it is where it's going my answer right now is ... Hell NO!  
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_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto manga or anime. It's all a property of Kishimoto and Shueisha I think. Hopefully, one day the author will come to his senses and lend me the license for all of his work. Till then I only do this for fun and my payment are the reviews that people leave behind.**_

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Complete. All the preparations for the ritual were complete. Breathing a sigh of relief Naruto sat on the ground. They were just in time to complete the sealing circle considering it was 11:55 pm in the night. No matter how much planning they had undergone it still came down to the last minute, _'Man, just 5 minutes late and it would have been a disaster,'_ he thought. And he was right because the eggs planted in Sakura's body were already beginning to sprout. Getting up from the ground he walked towards Sakura who was sitting inside the sealing circle, checking on things.

"Sakura-chan, relax. I have looked over the whole thing, everything is in place," he reassured her to calm her down.

Looking at his face as he came closer to her, she smiled nervously, "I know, I just want everything to go smoothly."

"It will. You are ready and I am here with you all the way."

Getting up from her seat in the middle of the circle Sakura walked up to her husband memorizing his face the whole time. She would need it in 5 minutes because of what she would go through. Once she was close to him she saw him open up his arms for her, which she went to without any hesitation. Holding him close to her, she felt his warmth, not just from his body heat but from his thoughts as well. He was pouring all of his feelings towards her through the link to let her know that he was there for her.

Speaking softly in her ear, he whispered, "Just…come back to me."

Raising her head a little she saw the fear in his eyes. Feeling the love well up within her she put her arms around his neck. It was so like him to not tell her about his worries, to keep it all bottled up. Tearing up a little herself, she reached up and lightly brushed in lips. Standing on her tip toes, she kissed his eyelids, his cheeks, and when she reached his lips once more, she gently kissed his top lip, then his bottom lips, then placing both her lips on his she just savoured the moment.

Opening his mouth he brushed his tongue against hers, gradually deepening the kiss. She tastes like oranges they had for desert, he thought before he heard her moan. As they played the sensual duelling match with their tongues, he felt her hands buried in his hair. Moving his hands up, he rubbed the base of her back and pulled her closer to him.

Sakura felt his tongue invading hers, sighing softly in his warm mouth as his tongue lightly licked hers again, she grabbed the appendage in her mouth and gently sucked on it. Hearing, a rich moan from the man in her arms, she felt herself melting. Withdrawing her fingers from his, she untwined her arms from around his neck and placed them against his chest. Feeling him, she let her hands roam his body, caressing his muscles under his clothes. Letting him guiding her tongue in his mouth, she shivered at the contact when she felt him lightly graze it with his teeth.

Grasping desperately at her senses, she gently pushed against his firm chest, to force them apart from each other. Once his lips left hers, they stood there for several seconds gasping for air and staring heatedly at the other. As he licked his lips, subconsciously her gaze glanced at them and when she looked back up, she could see a hungry look in his eyes. She felt like she was on top of the world as she saw the desire in his face. Quickly clearing her throat, she looked away to calm herself down.

"I-I…" Clearing her throat once more she continued, "I should go back into the circle. It's time."

"Yeah," he responded, running his hands through his hair, "you do that. But when you return, you are mine, Sakura-chan."

Finding his statement infectious, she lightly smiled, "I have always been yours, Naruto. I am not going anywhere. Just make sure you survive this as well alright?

Naruto saw her walking towards the centre of the sealing circle. Looking at time he noticed it was 11:58 pm, so taking a deep breath he started building his chakra. He had to close off the area so that the residual energy that would be released in the atmosphere due to Sakura's technique would not alert anyone of their location. The seal itself was spread out over an area of one kilometer. And starting from the circumference of the seal there were barrier seals laid out at one meter distance. It was a safety precaution that they had undertaken, though there was chance that even with the barrier, the energy that would be released might actually destroy the island.

Stopping his second guessing he looked at Sakura sitting in a meditating position, "Ready?"

Getting her nod in reply, he walked near the centre of the seal stopping 5 meters from Sakura. Going through the hand seals, he slammed both palms into the ground, yelling "Seal Release: One thousand barriers," as he released all the chakra he had stored.

Watching the barriers rise from the ground, forming a dome like structure on top, Naruto saw them converge at a single point at the very top of the dome. Sitting inside the barriers between 5 and 6 meters, he nodded to Sakura.

Once she felt the barriers take hold and stabilize, she nodded back. Then collecting all of her chakra, she released it in one go, "Seal Release: Open gates," unlocking the eight gates of the body simultaneously.

Naruto saw her grit her teeth as her chakra output went through the roof. There was no turning back for either of them now. Without wasting any time Naruto went inside his mindscape and appeared in front of the demon sealed inside of him "Kurama, as I told you 6 months ago, I will show you the truth about me but before that I want you to see something."

"See? What do you want me to see being trapped inside you, Naruto?" Kurama glared at the human standing on the other side of the cage.

"I will change my mindscape so that you can see what's happening outside," he replied as he walked up to the cage and put his hand on the seal holding the beast. Once his right hand touched the seal, his left hand formed one handed seals and the bars of the cage changed into a screen with a view from outside as Naruto saw it.

Not intending to argue with Kurama right now, he left his mindscape and watched Sakura as she started forming hand seals for the main technique. He wanted to look away, wanted to just make her stop but he didn't do anything, except for sitting in his place. As her friend and husband, he had faith in her. He knew what she was capable of and this technique was the culmination of hard work that she had to go through in order to come up with it. This was her brain-child, no matter how much risk it carried she would go through it, in order to prove to herself that she was still the best. That is why he waited for her as she started the cycle of going through the horrendous pain that she would unleash.

In the middle of the circle slamming her hands on the seals Sakura yelled, "Seal Release: Primordial life," before spitting blood from her mouth as her stomach was split open from the inside.

As soon as he saw the aftermath, he swallowed the bile that threatened to leak from his mouth. Even though he was prepared to deal with horrors of life, it was still hard for him to see Sakura in pain and he was sure it would be painful for anyone to split their own stomach open with a technique especially when they were on the verge of dying due to the release of eight gates of the body.

'_Damn,'_ he thought as he saw her trying to control the pain in her mind. Sitting on the ground he gritted his teeth tightly, while clenching his fists till his palms were bleeding. He knew the hardest part was still ahead of her and for him as well. Taking deep breaths to calm him, Naruto watched it all without blinking. He wanted to be right there with Sakura going through the ritual, so that he could share her pain but this was one technique that was not available to him. So, he did the next best thing by making sure to watch it all. He might not be in pain due to the technique but his heart felt like it would collapse from observing and feeling the pain that Sakura was in through their link.

So, he kept an eye on her as she focussed more of her chakra and went through another set of hand seals, "Forbidden Technique: Pathways to the universe." Using the blood spilling from the opening of her stomach, Naruto saw as seal symbols started forming around Sakura. The symbols hung in the air without support surrounding her from all sides. When he tried reading them he had to scrunch up his eyes as the symbols kept flickering in the air at different intervals. Giving up he switched his eyes back to his wife to see her taking deep breaths.

Knowing she was feeling light-headed by now due to blood loss, he saw her sit up once more, as she took a handful of food pills and popped them in her mouth. Usually, eating more than 2 food pills at a time was a bad combination because the effect of chakra poisoning would be that much higher once the person came down from the chakra high. The food pills basically worked by releasing chakra stored in different body parts, so taking a lot of food pills at the same time meant that the temporary boost of chakra would most assuredly kill the person as the organs started shutting down.

In this case, since she had already opened the eight gates of the body, eating a handful of food pills wouldn't really make the situation worse. The most important part was that Sakura required more chakra in order to complete the ritual and the two techniques she used earlier would most assuredly have used hers completely. Watching her he noticed the chakra leaking out of her body once more as it swirled inside the last barrier. He saw that she was shaking from the effort, most likely keeping herself alive through sheer willpower alone.

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In the centre of the circle, Sakura felt like her body was on fire. All she felt was pain; her body was rejecting the large increase of chakra, and the organs were starting to shut down. Her eyes were already closed due to the sheer increase of chakra as she couldn't see anything except for blurs in front of her. Her hands were literally shaking and she was having a hard time moving them to form the seals for the final technique.

_'Come on dammit, don't you dare stop,'_she thought to herself.

Breathing deeply she kept herself motivated by talking on her own. She knew if she stopped now then the whole thing would be a waste of everyone's time. There was someone waiting for her just a few meters away. She had to think about her stupid, stubborn, protective and an idiot of a husband.

Gaining some courage through the rock in her life, Sakura lifted her hands and brought them together to form hand seals. Opening her eyes she slammed her hands on the ground in front of her, while looking at Naruto's blurred form, "Forbidden Sealing Technique: Consuming Universe."

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"What is she doing?" Naruto heard Kurama's shout from his mindscape, "Pathetic humans, do you even know what you are playing with?"

He could feel the hatred of the demon sealed within him but more than that Naruto felt the fear that the almighty being trapped in his stomach exuded. If it was any other time he would have gone in his mindscape and gloated just to see Kurama's face when he realized that there were people more powerful than him. And this time they didn't need special bloodlines to make him submit.

However, Uzumaki Naruto didn't do anything of the sort; he just sat in the same position and kept an eye on his wife. He saw the way she struggled to gather her wits about her for the last technique. He observed the smile she gave him as she called out the Kinjutsu. Still he watched it all even though he was crying tears of pain seeing his most precious person die in front of him. Never before had he ever felt so helpless, the last time Sakura didn't tell him what the procedure entailed and he wasn't there to observe it.

As soon as the last technique was called out the ritual was complete because from this point onward he had no idea what would happen. That is why it was called a 'ritual' because it required the activation of three different techniques to acquire the desired results. Once the eight gates of the body were opened, they basically made sure that Sakura had a large amount of chakra available, in order to feed the eggs that were dormant inside her body. The eggs consisted of different microbes and other starting materials that would be required to start life of any kind. That was the first step, which would allow her to control microbial life of any kind anywhere and anytime. Just like last time, Sakura would create the first of its summoning contract on this planet. To be able to control the one thing that many a strong shinobi would have no counter against. After all it's very hard to fight something that you cannot see, touch, smell, hear or taste and yet the microbes exist everywhere.

The second technique called for the opening of the pathways of the universe, so that different dimensions could be called upon during the process. Essentially the seals surrounding Sakura were portals to other parts of the universe that were connected via black holes. The technique on its own wasn't useful in the long run since anyone travelling through a black hole would instantly die just by gravity alone much less from all the radiation and the rest of dangerous things that would happen.

When the second technique was combined with the third technique 'Consuming Universe,' the true results were realized. The forbidden technique allowed the person to basically capture the essence of everything within them. As soon as the technique was called out, Naruto saw Sakura get stabbed by the portals opened during the second method. This was the essence of the technique, since the connection with the pathways would allow Sakura to become one with the universe. Customarily, the universe is defined as everything that exists (has existed or will exist). Therefore the completion of the ritual would allow her to control the three main principles of the world: space-time, forms of energy especially momentum and matter and the physical laws of the world.

In theory Sakura had control over life through the use of microbes and she was easily able to create death and nullify it through medical jutsu. However, there was always a limit to what humans were capable of, which is why the techniques had certain limitations on them. It was similar in this case as well. Once, she was able to master the techniques that the ritual granted she would be very hard to beat, however it didn't mean that she was unbeatable. For his wife, the three rules that she was able to manipulate opened up her arsenal to a wide variety of attacks but it would only be possible if she succeeded in her task by coming out of this alive.

Before he could contemplate the techniques any further, Naruto heard Sakura's scream through the barrier, which should have been impossible unless the structure of the inner most barriers were deteriorating. Pouring more energy in the barrier he tried to make the shield stronger but the release of energy from the portals blew apart the shield up to 4 meters and the last one was wavering in front of him. Focussing even more he tried to keep the shield stable to protect him from the energy backlash in the centre of the shield.

"Get away from there you pathetic monkey. Even I wouldn't be able to save your wretched self if that energy touches you," Kurama growled through the mindscape as he watched his host struggle to maintain the shield.

Naruto didn't say anything, he just watched as the love of his life kept screaming at the top of her lungs. He could see her being eaten alive as bacteria and other microbes feasted on her flesh. Gritting his teeth, he poured more chakra into the barrier seal while he cried. He wanted to turn his head away from the scene, he wanted to move back but he wouldn't because there was no way he was walking out of this alone. Either Uzumaki Sakura would succeed in mastering the ritual or they would both perish. So, he observed her ear-splitting shrieks as she tried to keep some semblance of reality. The pathway of seals connected to her body made sure she was kept in place. Her arms and legs were spread out with the portals connected to her head, neck, back, arms, legs, hands and feet.

Hearing the ear-piercing screams getting louder, he tried to stabilize the barrier even more but he couldn't concentrate due to the pain that he was feeling just by looking at his wife. Slowly, the noise went down though it wasn't caused by the strengthening of the barricade. Belatedly, he realized the reason for her not shouting any more was due to the hoarseness of her throat. She was unable to make any more sounds due to the damage to the voice box. When the light from the pathway seals dimmed he was finally able to observe Sakura clearly and what he saw terrified him.

She had no legs, no stomach, her arms were gone as well, only the area above the heart was left, however what shocked him were her eyes. There was no recognition in them; they were staring up in space dead to the world, "Sakura-chan?" He yelled through the barrier but there was no reply, not even a twitch. Her mind was broken from the pain she experienced; it had most likely retreated in the darkest pits of her mind to save itself. He tried to reach her through the mental connection but there was nothing. Unable to do something, he watched as the rest of her body slowly deteriorated and disappeared from the world.

At that moment, Uzumaki Naruto knew that Uzumaki Sakura was dead. There was nothing left behind not even a drop of blood, which meant the ritual was successful, from then on it was up to Sakura to succeed and come back to the world. Before he could contemplate his thoughts any further, there was an enormous release of energy from the centre of the seal, which wiped his barrier as if it was nothing. Feeling his skin melting his last thought was, _'What happened?'_ before the discharge of energy enveloped everything around him.

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Opening his eyes Naruto found himself in a stream of energy that was flowing like a river around him. More precisely he was floating on a surface made of pure energy because when he dipped his hand underneath the surface he wasn't able to grab anything. Getting up he looked around trying to gather his bearings so that he could think about his next steps in order to get out. But when he concentrated on his surroundings he found nothing around him. Everywhere he looked he could only see energy, "Did I die from the backlash?" He murmured silently to himself.

Before he could contemplate his thoughts any further, he heard, "You wish human," in the unmistakable voice of the demon sealed in his belly.

Fearing the worst, he slowly turned around to come face to face with said demon's snout. Naruto could see that Kurama was enjoying this. As far as he could see there was no cage to hold the monster filled with hatred back anymore. There was nothing between them except for air and Naruto knew that Kurama would do anything in his power to finally gain his freedom.

"Finally, I will have my revenge," Kurama gloated happily, while keeping his eyes on his jailor, "You Uzumaki's have imprisoned me long enough."

Moving quickly Naruto avoided the swipe of Kurama's tails, watching him closely he narrowed his eyes, "I told you before as well Kurama, I had no desire to detain you in the cell-"

"I am not naïve human. I know all you desire is control over my powers," he shouted before he released chakra attacks at his jailor.

Watching the attacks come closer to him, Naruto took note of his surroundings once again. He had no ground to stand on yet the energy underneath his feet didn't feel unstable. Watching Kurama gather his chakra he started doing the same and realized that it was very easy to mould chakra. Not waiting any more he quickly gathered wind chakra around him and increased his speed to get away from the blast area.

As soon as the attacks detonated he used the explosion to hide the fact that he sent 100 clones in different directions away from the fight. Not giving Kurama another chance to throw his attacks around, Naruto appeared on top of his head, "Oodama Rasengan."

As he observed the attack not having an effect on the tailed beast, he vanished in a burst of speed to get away from the retaliation, "What can I do to make you believe that I don't want to take your powers from you? I want a partnership between us."

"Partnership?" Kurama sneered as if it was a dirty word, "You want to be my partner, after your father made sure that I was imprisoned within you? After your disgusting village used me?"

"No! You humans are all the same. You are all liars, you only see power-"

"You know that's not true dammit," Naruto yelled getting angry.

Swiping his paws at Naruto he continued, "Yes, it is. Your pathetic race is full of greed mongers, while trying to kill each other you use others like your playthings. First that accursed eyes of Madara," Kurama spit the name with venom, "afterwards that first Hokage of your village and his wife."

Comprehension dawning on his face, Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what Kurama was talking about. Of course, any powerful being would be angry if they were imprisoned inside others, especially when their jailor would use the powers for their own end. Avoiding another swipe of one of the nine tails, Naruto back flipped and created some distance between the two, "Look I cannot speak for Madara and I am not saying what the Shodaime or his wife did was right either but I am not the same as them."

"Did you not see what went on outside?" Not letting his prisoner speak, he kept going, "Sakura-chan went through all that pain because she wants the power to protect me," looking Kurama right in the eyes, "You saw that I didn't move from the spot because I love her. Just as she is willing to die for me, I would gladly do the same for her."

"Does it look like I care what you are willing to do for your mate? I am going to kill you myself now that I am not bound by the seal."

"The point I am trying to make is if you agree the two us can work together as well. Once we find a way out of this I will remove the seal, which means you won't be bound by it and we can work together."

Scoffing Kurama looked down at his jailor, "Big words coming from someone, who requires my power to remain alive."

"You know that is not true. I can very much remain alive on my own."

"How can I trust you Naruto? You used my powers just like the rest of your species."

"I used your powers when I was 12 years old dammit. When I didn't know any better," watching the scoff that left Kurama's mouth pissed Naruto off, "It's not like you helped any. The first time we met you tried to skewer me."

"And I would have done it as well if the seal didn't stop me. Now though there is no seal to save you from my wrath."

"Fine," Naruto growled as he reached the limit of his patience, "If that's how you want it, then we will fight and I will prove to you after beating you that I don't need or want your powers."

Saying that his eyes changed with the appearance of the horizontal pupils to show the sage mode taking hold before his body was surrounded by chakra. Clasping his hands together, Naruto brought out the chakra that he had put aside from the Kurama from his timeline. Once he felt ready he stood up straight and raised his head towards his opponent.

Watching Naruto as he drew on his meagre chakra, Kurama was highly amused. He waited till his jailor was ready to fight because he wanted to savour the moment when he finally killed off the last Uzumaki and attained his freedom. However, his thought process was sidelined when he saw the yellow chakra surrounding Naruto, as it reached new heights in terms of pure power. It reminded him of another individual that he had observed as the yellow coloured chakra gathered around his nemesis. The similarities became even more pronounced when his whole body was surrounded in seal lines as the flow of chakra increased, especially highlighting the seal from his stomach. The shroud of chakra resembled flickering flames and even the color and shape of his eyes changed as the horizontal line of the pupil was changed to a cross, while the color of the eyes changed to orange. Becoming wary of his opponent, Kurama didn't wait for him to gather any more energy. He attacked him head on by releasing Biju Balls right at Naruto.

Moving away from the path of destruction unleashed by Kurama, Naruto appeared underneath the snout of the fox demon and kicked him with all his might. Observing the beast's neck snapping upwards, he extended his arms straight out and unleashed a wind attack point blank below the neck of the biju. As the attacked pushed Kyuubi back, he saw the tails coming towards him, so making a hasty exit Naruto created some distance between them.

"That hurt, Naruto," Kurama growled, "But you can't beat me with just that level of attack."

"I am not trying to defeat you dattebayo. I am just making sure you understand that I mean you no harm."

Moving his tailed underneath the energy surface, Kurama growled, "Well then allow me to harm you human," as his tails appeared beneath Naruto's feet trying to skewer him while he extended his chakra paws to get another advantage.

Keeping an eye on all of the appendages, Naruto kept dodging them leaving after images in his wake. Seeing it go nowhere he grabbed a tail that attacked him straight on and pulled on it with all his might. As the other tails came closer he held on to the tail and moved it around the other tails to bind them together. To keep the paws from hurting him he pulled on the tails to make Kurama lose his balance as the beast tried to keep himself from being pulled below the plane. Not giving him any chance, Naruto created two shadow clones that appeared on top of his opponent's head, "Lightning Rasengan," before they threw the ball of chakra right into Kyuubi's mouth.

As the Rasengan exploded inside his foe's mouth, Naruto's clones didn't allow any reprieve to the beast. Holding on to the tails to keep them in place, he saw his clones falling towards the downed creature, yelling "Sage Mode: Ultra Big Ball Rasengan," as both of them rammed their respective attacks right after the Lightning Rasengan. Pulling on the tails, he dragged the rest of the body until it cleared ground level before he started swinging it above his head. As the body of the beast went in circles, Naruto jumped high in the air and threw it at the ground.

"Do you understand now? I have no shortage of power," Naruto yelled from the air, "I just don't want to leave such a big hole in my arsenal where my opponents will take advantage of it. That's why I am asking you to work with me."

Getting angrier by the second at his inability to harm his opponent, Kurama growled "Never. I will never debase myself by the likes of you," while creating 9 biju balls at the end of his tails. Releasing them at Naruto he quickly gathered more chakra and swallowed it whole before firing it through his mouth, "Imari."

"Tch," Naruto thought muttered under his breath as he watched the 9 chakra attacks converging towards him. His first thought was to meet the attack head on to show the demon in front of him that he wasn't affected by his attacks but when he saw the preparation for the next attack from his adversary he changed his mind. Using chakra, he manipulated it to form a quick seal on top of Kurama's head before he disappeared from the path of the attack. Emerging on top of Kurama's head he touched its forehead as the neck was stretched out due to the attack, to call out, "Seal Release: Inari's restraining Barrier."

Due to the seal, different gates appeared above Kurama's body to restrict him from standing on his paws. Once the jutsu took hold, Naruto appeared in front of the beast, "Now do you see what I mean when I said that I don't need your power?"

Sighing he sat down in a cross legged position, "Man you just don't listen. Don't you feel lonely in there?"

Hearing a growl, Naruto just shook his head, "Kurama, I really am trying to be your friend. I won't use you," staring at him in the eyes, he tried to convey his sincerity, "We will be equals in every sense of the word… Please just consider it."

As he was awaiting Kurama's answer, Naruto heard footsteps coming from behind him, before a voice spoke softly, "My, My, you have become such a hard fellow to please, Kurama."

Swiftly turning on the balls of his feet, he stood in a defensive posture in front of the newcomer. Watching the eyes, he saw the tell-tale signs of Rinnegan , however when he concentrated on the face he saw that it was not Nagato.

Hoping, the person in front of him wasn't some enemy, Naruto opened his mouth to ask a question, though he was interjected by Kurama's voice from behind, "Rikudo Sennin..."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Sitting at her desk, while working on the paperwork, the Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves was drinking sake from her left hand. Of course that was only possible because her assistant/ apprentice were currently out of the room. While she was signing the papers her mind was wandering towards the topic of Naruto and Sakura. Both of them were summoned by the Fire Daimyo, which was a surprise in of itself but then for him to ask them to stay for few days as his guests was an enormous event.

In a sense she was happy because Naruto's dream of being Hokage would be closer than ever if the Daimyo himself was aware of his status. It would make things much easier in the long run when she stepped down. However, there was a caveat that she had a hard time coming to terms with, considering the speed at which the names of both teenagers was being spread around. They had just barely killed off Sasori and already the Daimyo were aware of it. As far as she could tell calling them over to congratulate them on their victory, was too soon. It implied that there were spies in Konoha that were loyal only to the Fire Daimyo.

Not liking that thought one bit, she noted it on the side for ANBU to look into later. Thinking further on Naruto and Sakura she couldn't help being worried for them. No matter how strong they seemed they were still kids who had just started to test themselves against S-rank ninja. More than that however, she was distressing over her hunch that was sending the usual signals that made her feel like their life was in danger. Her hand kept going over to the lottery ticket she had in her drawer but she hesitated to check it.

As she was contemplating the thought about opening the drawer, a sudden plume of smoke alerted her of another presence in her office. Once the smoke dissipated, she saw a slug the size of 4 feet sliding near her desk. Recognizing the tell-tale signs of her summon Katsuyu's ability to divide herself into little pieces she asked, "Katsuyu, what is going on?"

Bowing slightly the slug said, "Tsunade-sama, I have some bad news."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, she said, "Well?"

Hesitating slightly, the head of the Slug clan said, "Sakura-san's name has deactivated on the scroll."

Hearing the words, Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise as she sat up rigidly, "What?"

Knowing the shock her summoner must be in Katsuyu tried to be supportive, "I am sorry Tsunade-sama."

"How?" Tsunade asked herself shaking her head in disbelief, "That is not possible, I know Sakura, I trained her, she wouldn't go down without a fight and we would know about it if that was the case."

"I don't have an answer to that Tsunade-sama. Unless, Sakura-san broke one of the tenants of the contract, the only other way to break it is through the summoner's death."

Crying softly she let the tears flow as she thought, '_This doesn't make any sense_,' thinking about her hunch. She knew if Sakura was in danger then Naruto would do anything in his power to protect her. Reflecting on that thought, she stood up immediately, "Naruto! He is with Sakura. There is no way he will let her die. Something else must have happened."

Then facing the door she shouted, "Shizune," as the door was slammed open from the outside. Not letting her apprentice waste any time on politeness, she continued, "Get me Kakashi right now, go."

Thinking about the situation some more she ordered, "ANBU," as two of her personal guards appeared via Shunshin no jutsu inside the room, "Find Jiraiya and tell him to report to me immediately. And get me Yamato."

While she was thinking about it Kakashi appeared in front of her via Shunshin, "Hokage-sama, you called?"

Nodding her head she looked at Kakashi with her most serious face, "I need you to gather a team immediately and go to the Fire Capital to find out anything regarding Naruto and Sakura."

Hearing the names, Kakashi asked, "Tsunade-sama?"

"They are missing Kakashi. Katsuyu just informed me that Sakura's name deactivated from the summon scroll. I am sure you can tell what that means."

Kakashi's single eye widened in surprise, he knew when the name of the summoner disappeared from the contract scroll, it usually implied the death of the person, "And Naruto?"

"We don't know anything. Quickly gather a team with you and leave for the palace of the Fire Daimyo immediately."

Standing straight at attention, Kakashi intoned, "Hai Hokage-sama."

"Find them Kakashi. I don't think either of them is dead but I need to know what happened. Do not return until you know for sure."

Not saying anything further, Kakashi just bowed and left the Hokage's Office swiftly via the same technique by which he arrived.

"Katsuyu, go with Kakashi and keep me informed," Tsunade asked of her summon. As she was left alone in her office, she looked out over the village and gritted her teeth, "Dammit."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Opening her eyes, Sakura blearily looked around and tried to find her bearings, while moving her fingers and toes, she felt respond in movement. Breathing a sigh of relief she slowly shook her head to clear her thoughts before focussing on her surroundings. As far as she could tell there was nothing around her that would pose a threat, so sitting up she swept her eyes about once more. Watching the darkness of her surroundings she couldn't discern anything in particular. Thinking back to the ritual to see if she made a mistake somewhere, she was unable to contradict the success of the procedure.

Trying to gather her chakra to shed some light on her surroundings, she found that she couldn't gather it. Panicking at the absence of chakra, she tried to draw it out once again, before giving up at the lack of result, "Dammit," she yelled in frustration.

_'This never happened the last time and there was no difference in the ritual except for Naruto's presence in the circle but that shouldn't change anything,'_ she thought, trying to come up with a reason for her lack of ability to gather chakra. So far as she could tell there was nothing around her that could harm her but surrounded by darkness she felt helpless against any attack. Not liking the situation at all, Sakura went back to trying to gather her chakra by holding her hands in the ram seal.

_'It's like chakra doesn't exist here,_' she talked to herself in her mind to make sure her head remained clear.

Before she could contemplate her situation any further she heard a voice around her, "I can assure you that chakra exists here. It is in the purest of form."

Unable to pinpoint the location, Sakura tensed her body, prepared to move to any direction in case of an attack, "Purest of form? I thought chakra was just energy?"

"It is. But the way most of you humans use it is just corrupted. There are very few people in your world who truly try to understand chakra and its various intricacies."

Listening to the voice Sakura was able to discern some things for herself, first the voice could read her thoughts, since they were able to answer her when she wasn't talking out loud, second either the being talking to her was not human or it was someone with a God complex considering the wording used regarding chakra use among humans. The question now became whether the entity was harmful or not.

"If I wanted to harm you child, I could have stopped you from entering my dimension right from the beginning."

"Dimension?" Sakura questioned.

"Where did you think your ritual would have taken you?"

Unable to answer the question, Sakura narrowed her eyes, "So where am I?"

"You are in a world away from life and death."

"Am I dead?"

In an amused voice, the being asked, "Do you feel dead?"

"No. But then who are you?"

"Ah! Now we come to the crux of the matter," Sakura heard, "I am known by many names in your world. Some call me Kami, while others call me Shinigami. The question becomes which one do you prefer?"

Sakura's eyes widened once she heard the words. Never in a million years did she think that she would be able to reach God itself and she didn't know how either. The way she designed the ritual it was only supposed to connect her with the world. Nowhere did she even attempt to call upon the other worldly powers of the God. It was mind boggling to her, though a shadow of doubt started to crept into her mind the more she thought about it, "How do I know you are who you say you are?"

Gaining confidence as she thought about her reasoning she continued, "I could be in a genjutsu for all that matters."

"True, but even if I appear in front of you, what guarantee would there be that you will be able to differentiate between reality and genjutsu?"

Smirking at her chance, Sakura said, "Oh, there is a very simple way for me to check. If what you said about being the Shinigami is true, then you should have the 'Yin' part of Kurama's chakra within you-"

"This way you would be able to check for genjutsu as it would be hard to maintain an illusion for any human due to the potency of the chakra. Very well child."

Thus, Sakura saw a figure emerge in front of her from total darkness. At first only an outline of the person was visible before it changed into a person instantly. The most prominent feature was the eyes with the ripple pattern along with light purple iris and sclera. His hair was short and spiked up in the front with two distinctive pieces of hair resembling horns. Looking at the necklace hanging off the neck she could see six red magatama which were surrounded by a cloak with a high collar.

Eyes wide in shock at seeing the one person who was said to be the creator of ninjutsu, Sakura was unable to say anything. When nothing came out of her mouth she closed it with an audible snap and heard, "I thought you might find this a lot more bearable, considering you are at least familiar with the legend."

Then without saying anything else, the person started to bring out the 'yin' part of Kurama's chakra. Feeling the oppressive feeling that the chakra was especially known for, Sakura focussed on trying to find any holes in the surroundings to confirm the identity of the person in front of her. Seeing no change, she relaxed a little bit and bowed her head, "Thank you."

"You are most welcome, child."

Once she raised her head back, Sakura asked another question "Was the Sage of Six paths, your avatar?"

AAt hearing the question, she observed the amusement in his eyes, "Hmm that remains to be seen."

Seeing her questioning look he elaborated, "I do not interfere in anything, unless my powers are evoked. The person you know as sage of six paths, was just that a human being. He was just connected with the world around him."

"But his powers were enormous. He could create things out of nothing."

"Anyone can do that child. Even you are capable of it. The question is whether you have the energy required to fulfill the task or not?"

Hearing that Sakura was at her wits end as she tried to come to terms with the statement, grasping at straw ends she struggled to ask the next question, "But what about the moon? He is said to have created the moon."

As soon as she uttered those words, Sakura heard the person in front of her laughing his head off, "Let me assure you child, the moon was not created by any human."

Expounding on it he continued in an amused voice, "The moon was already in the sky. The only thing this sage did was seal the body of the ten tailed beast in it."

"So, the stories that we were told were untrue?"

"Not untrue per se, just exaggerated."

"Why did you appear in front of me?"

"Because you summoned me, of course."

Not hiding the surprise in her voice, she went on, "I am pretty sure that I only created a summon contract with the microbes to summon them. The rest was just gathering a bit of nature within me by opening up the portals to other dimensions so that I could increase my limits."

"Yes, that is exactly what you did. However, I could not let this opportunity pass child," Seeing her confused expression, he explained, "In doing the ritual you fully opened yourself up to nature, which is different from what the others in your species did."

Baffled, Sakura could only articulate her question through, "Huh?"

"Take the human whose form I have taken; he was one of the first to start using chakra in your world and he was capable of using some of the most powerful jutsu known to your kind, correct?"

Seeing her nod he continued, "He was connected with nature to the point of defeating the ten tails and separating its power into 9 different parts. That's one way of understanding nature. The other way is when people like your husband Uzumaki Naruto are able to use nature's chakra to enhance their bodies and thus reap some of the benefits."

With a small flicker of understanding, Sakura hesitantly said, "So, there is a third way that you want me to use?"

"No. I don't want you to use a third way to enhance your power," he said resolutely, "I want you to become nature itself. If you agree, you will become my representative."

Sakura stared back astonished as she heard the words, "Nature itself? What does it mean?"

Watching his understanding smile irked Sakura as she felt like a little kid looking at someone far older as they tried to explain basic knowledge. Shaking her head to clear it of irregular thoughts she focussed on the person in front of her, "Hmm, that's a little hard to explain. You will see as you progress in your training the true meaning behind it."

"I can give you an example, however you need to understand that it is only a facet of power that comes with the training," The nature spirit waited until, Sakura nodded her head, "Take the forests surrounding Konoha, once you complete the training, you will be connected to things in the forests like wildlife, plants etc. It will essentially allow you to raise your awareness to a level like never before."

For a minute Sakura didn't say anything, staring into space, thinking about the example she just received. Till now it didn't sound too bad, however she was aware that every power has some kind of sacrifice, so raising her head she asked, "What's the price?"

"Your humanity," the voice said immediately, though he could see the perplexity of the expression on her face. In order to stop her from reaching any abnormal conclusions he continued, "If you agree then you will no longer just be human. You will have a part of me inside of you, which will make you in essence my daughter. You will learn how to use chakra from the beginning as you will no longer be able to produce it on your own."

Bewildered at hearing that she would not be able to produce chakra if she agreed to it, she listened as he went on, "As I told you before, your species knows me by many names but I am essentially nature in the purest form, as such the chakra that you will use will be from nature itself."

Before the being known as nature could on any further, Sakura interrupted him in between to ask a question that had been bugging her the whole time, "Why me?"

"Because when you set about creating the jutsu, you didn't just learn it to make sure that you became strong. You learned it so that you could walk shoulder to shoulder with your other half. You did it because the desire to learn was stronger than the desire to use the power. It is because of your pursuit of knowledge that led me to you."

"I don't understand. I came up with the ritual to be strong. My reasons were selfish."

"Did you use that knowledge to tip the balance of nature? Did you have a desire to rule over everyone? Did you bind them to your will?" Seeing no response from the girl in front of him the figure in sage's clothes continued, "Even now the people you have under your control in the Fire Capital, did you harm any of them? You can but you didn't. You didn't do anything except to make sure that you and your husband are known in the Capital."

"No, child even now you are not sure what to do with the Daimyo, who as your husband put it is weak-willed and a coward," Smiling lightly to reassure her the being looked around the dimension they were in, "Do you know how rare it is to meet someone who is not only inherently good but also loyal and steadfast as well? There are not many people who can keep their goals clearly in their mind and not lose themselves to the world."

Sighing a little in reprieve he went on, "Then there is the ability to care and empathize for others with a great sense of duty to do the right thing even during tough times. Combine that with a power you will receive from my training means I need to choose a person who can keep a level head in a tough situation, not lose themselves to their emotions and understand the need to use only the required amount of power to get things done." Shaking his head, he looked pointedly at Sakura, "There are not many people left in the world, who even have those qualities and those are just the most basic ones."

"Each and every quality you just described, I would associate with Naruto."

"Yes, your husband is one of the rare ones as well. That is why the two of you work so well together. He has a lot of heart but you have one as well. Both of you have something that other people of your species lack. Between the two of you though, there is something he lacks that made me choose you to be my representative," He smiled mischievously, knowing the next set of words he uttered would floor the girl in front of him.

Waiting for him to say something, Sakura was terrified as she tried to think of the reason, unable to come up with anything she listened as he spoke, "It's your ability to give birth."

Hearing that Sakura mind came to an abrupt halt, "What? What kind of reasoning is that?" She exclaimed thinking about her ability to get pregnant. Of course, she would love to have children one day but selecting her based on her sex seemed bizarre.

"Why are you surprised?"

"You know why. Because it's sexist," Sakura said in an odd tone to her voice, "How do you expect me to accept this now?"

"Do you know how the universe spreads Sakura? Does it spread by the great increase in power in one place, or by destruction?" Not letting her answer he went on, "It spreads by the creation of new worlds. Following that logic how do you expect me to approach someone else? Is any male capable of giving birth naturally?" He said in a voice filled with patience.

"You know the story of Rikudo Sennin. How his sons fought because he chose one over the other. You will be able to make sure that your descendants don't go through that. Each of your children will have the same ability."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you will be able to make sure of it child; can your husband do that? Do you know of anyone in the world who can manipulate the cells of their body to such an extent? Even your Shodaime Hokage was unable to understand how his body truly worked. He was able to manipulate it to a large extent but it was inherent ability that mostly played the part."

Not being able to come up with an argument to counteract his statement, Sakura just laughed slightly, "I never thought I would argue against getting more power.

"That is one of your good points. You are making sure that you are worthy of it, knowing you cannot betray your heart. Hearing the reason behind helps you make better decisions." Smiling proudly he came closer to her, "That is why I feel, you are the right person for this responsibility."

"At least I will be able to have children."

"That you will but you still have a long way to go. If you agree then you will have to train right from the beginning, everything from learning to crawl, to standing up on your feet, to walking and lastly to running." Looking serious he tried to convey the impact of the decision that she would undertake, "It will not be easy and I cannot guarantee that you will succeed."

"So, it will be on me," nodding to herself she asked, "So what happens if I fail?"

"You will cease to exist."

Raising her eyebrow at the nonchalant way it was spoken Sakura just shrugged her shoulders, "No pressure then."

Smiling slightly the person asked, "So, do you agree?"

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

In the forests surrounding the Fire Country, a team of eight people and one dog were running through the trees at a fast pace. They had been running constantly for the past day in order to reach the capital as quickly as they could. On the way from Konoha, Kakashi as a team leader had explained the situation to the rest of the members, which consisted of Team 8 with Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino along with Team 10 consisting of Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji. There was also the presence of Yamato, whom Tsunade had sent as backup. Kakashi was grateful for Hokage's thinking because he was going through different scenarios where Sakura's life would be in danger.

He knew firsthand how strong Naruto and Sakura were, so for somebody to take either of them out would mean they were facing a very strong opponent. At the face value the only people whom Kakashi could think of that would even pose a threat would be from Akatsuki, so he was hoping that this was a false alarm. However, he hadn't been a ninja this long without being cautious that is why he had gathered this particular team so that they could deal with unexpected surprises.

Breaking his chain of thought Kakashi heard Kiba speak, "Kakashi-sensei, I have their smell. Its 4 days old but I can still follow it."

"Good. Don't lose it. This is the only lead we have."

Looking at Yamato, he asked the wood user to create a clone to scout out ahead so that they would have some prior warning in case there was an ambush. Looking at the rest of Team 8 Kakashi ordered, "Hinata, keep your eyes posted on our sides. If there is a trap I want to know," watching her nod he turned towards the bug user, "Shino spread your bugs out, especially forward and behind us and let me know in case of an attack."

Facing Team 10, Kakashi addressed Chouji and Shikamaru at the same time, "Your job for now is to protect Ino at all costs," watching the surprised expression on said person's face he explained, "Ino, you are our only medic. If Naruto or Sakura are injured then we will need you to focus on either of them. We can't afford to let you waste your energy if we have to fight an enemy."

Receiving a nod from the sole medic of the group, Kakashi summoned his dog familiar, Paku and asked him to scout out ahead of Yamato and keep them posted on anything. Guessing that they were still 2 kilometers out of the capital, Kakashi hoped they would be able to provide help to Naruto and Sakura on time. So, far there hadn't been a sign of the battle, which was worrisome by itself, considering they were nearing the capital. If there was any skirmish it would have been obvious by now. Still, he had nothing to base any opinions on, so keeping his mind open to any possibilities and steeling himself in case one or both of his students passed away, Kakashi faced ahead and increased his speed some more.

As they were nearing the capital, Kiba turned towards him, "The smell is splitting into different areas of the capital sensei. But there is a stronger smell a little ways away from the palace."

Nodding his head, Kakashi thought about the situation, as he conjectured that splitting of smell was likely because of the Naruto's clones but the stronger smell away from the palace was a little worrisome. As soon as Paku, came into view, he asked, "What have you got to report, Paku?"

"The kid is right Kakashi. Naruto's clones are spreading the smell everywhere but the scent is getting stronger if we go towards the Fire Temple."

"I see," Kakashi intoned before he looked at the rest of the team, "We will follow the scent. Everyone be on your guard."

Looking at the younger ANBU member, Kakashi commanded, "Yamato sent your clone to the Fire Capital and make him stay there, in case we don't find anything at the Fire Temple."

Reaching the Fire Temple they found a strange barrier surrounding the temple stopping anyone from going inside. Looking at the seals powering the structure Kakashi raised his headband to watch the surrounding with his Sharingan. From the amount of chakra running through the seals he could see that it was a very powerful barrier.

Before he could contemplate it any further, he was interrupted by the staff of the temple, "What are Konoha shinobi doing here?"

Watching the confused glances, Kakashi looked at all the monks that appeared, however none of them made any threatening moves, "We are looking for my students. Have you seen any shinobi from Konoha around the temple?"

"Yes, there are two inside right now," A bald monk answered.

Kakashi watched the monk as the others gave deference to him, so bowing his head he asked, "Are they by any chance, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura?"

Raising an eyebrow at the names the monk replied, "Yes."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kakashi stood up straight, "We need to see them immediately. Their lives might be in danger."

"That is not possible, ninja-san. This barrier can only be dissolved from the inside. At the moment Chiriku-san along with Naruto-san and Sakura-san are training inside and we have no way of knowing when they will come out."

Before he could ask another question, Yamato interrupted his question by whispering, "Kakashi-senpai, Chiriku-san is the former member of 12 Guardian Ninja."

Thinking about the situation, Kakashi couldn't come up with anything to explain the relationship between his students and the former member of the Guardian group, "Monk-san, do you know how my students know Chiriku-san? I am not sure how they met."

Shrugging the monk continued, "I don't know the details. However, almost a year ago, Haruno-san came to the capital on a mission. That is when Chiriku-san met her and invited her to train with him. But she took a rain check until her team-member arrived. That is why the two of them have been training inside the barrier for the past 3 days."

Bowing his head in respect, Kakashi said, "Thank You. Do you mind if we stay here and wait for them to come out?"

Shaking his head the monk replied, "You are more than welcome to it, ninja-san. I will inform the rest of the staff to not disturb your group."

Once the monk from the temple moved on, Kakashi looked towards the rest of his team, "Anything?"

At the lack of answer he continued, "Yamato, go to the capital and inform the Daimyo regarding our presence and let him know the reason."

Watching Yamato move past the group, he looked at the rest of the Chunin, "Hinata, Kiba, Shino do a full sweep around the area. You find anything suspicious let me know."

Getting three nods from the aforementioned Chunin, he turned to the rest of his team, "We will set up camp but be ready for any eventuality. Paku scout out the area once more and Katsuyu-san, can you please inform the Hokage regarding the situation?"

Once, the orders were given out Kakashi stared at the barrier for a long time trying to see any weak points that could be exploited. Not finding anything he went towards his team and helped them in their task. There was nothing else for them to do than wait for their friends to come out of the barrier on their own.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Sitting on the plane of the energy between a blonde haired boy and Kurama also known as Kyuubi no Yoko was the 'Sage of Six Paths.' At the moment he was listening to the argument going on between the jailor and its prisoner. From what he discerned, the crux of the matter was the trust issues that Kurama had regarding the use of his power.

Interrupting the squabble before it could escalate further 'Rikudo Senin' intervened, "Kurama, when did you become so filled with anger?"

Growling in his throat at the question, Kurama looked at his creator with rage, "Anger? You are talking to me about anger? It was your descendants who controlled me like a common beast. First the Uchiha with their accursed eyes and then it was your tree hugging descendant who separated my brethren to different parts of world as pieces to barter power."

Hearing the pain in his voice, he could only dip his head and look ashamed. He had no argument against it, when he chose his younger son to carry on his legacy he had hoped that the brothers would unite in the future. But it seemed to have been for nothing, so he listened as Kurama vented his anger, "As if that wasn't enough, then another of your descendent imprisoned me within her and acted as if she was doing the right thing."

Turning towards Naruto, he said pointedly, "That was Uzumaki Mito, part of your mother's clan. And you want me to side with you?" Spitting at his feet, he continued, "As if being imprisoned in your mother wasn't enough, your father tied my life force with yours so that you could use my power."

"Look I am not defending the actions of the first Hokage or his wife. After he had freed you from Madara's control, they should have just let you go," Naruto tried to explain his point of view, "I also don't know whether Uzumaki Mito really believed that by imprisoning you she was helping the world or she did it because it was an opportunity to make Konoha stronger by using your power. I have no answer to that."

"In the same way I cannot defend my mother being chosen as your jailor as well. I don't know the circumstance during the time but I can guess that it was based on greed of power to maintain the status quo. But try to understand from their point of view. Everyone thought you were a being of hatred and so they assumed the worst."

Gazing at the ground underneath his feet, Naruto bowed his head, "Even my parents thought the same. My dad's intention was not bad Kurama. He only wanted to make sure his son was able to live peacefully in the village of his birth but I cannot defend his actions further than that. In the end, he bound you to me in order for me to utilize your power for the sake of the village. For that I am sorry, really sorry."

As the silence settled in the clearing, Rikudo Sennin looked at the majestic Kyuubi no Kitsune and bowed his head in regret, "I am sorry as well, Kurama. It was because of my descendants that you and your brethren had to suffer. I never wanted that for you but I had a feeling that it might happen in the future."

Sighing in defeat, he continued, "The Uchiha, Senju and Uzumaki have slighted you. I understand that even this child blackmailed you into giving your power," he pointed towards Naruto who ducked his head in shame, "But he is trying to make amends. Once he recognized the truth about you, he has been asking for your friendship Kurama. Please consider it at least."

Getting angry at the treatment of such majestic beings by his species, Naruto looked at Kurama to convey his feelings, "Just give me one chance, please. I won't betray you and I promise you that no one else would ever be able to control you," He emphasized the promise by repeating, "Ever."

"And if that isn't enough, please know that Sakura-chan and I will do everything in our power to make sure that you and your brethren are removed from the balance of power between the villages. We will make sure that no one will imprison you or any of the others as long as we have breath in our bodies," Saying that he kept looking into Kurama's eyes to communicate his determination regarding the promise he just made.

"Will you at least consider it Kurama? If you work with him I can assure you, no one will be able to control you or take your chakra for their own use," The original sage said to his creation, "Allow my family a chance to repent for their actions."

Kurama understood what his father, so to speak was trying to suggest. Since, Naruto was also his descendant; it would mean that the very people who had hurt him, their progeny will atone for their crimes by making sure no one else was able to use his power. He wanted to deny Naruto this chance, he wanted to destroy everything in the village that he held so dear to his heart but he didn't. Looking at the person because of whom he came into existence he saw the hope held in his eyes. So, giving up his struggle he spoke gruffly, "Fine, only because of you sage, I will give Naruto a chance to make up for the transgressions of your sons."

Hearing the acceptance from the Kurama, the sage could not help the tears that flowed out of his eyes. It was a long time coming but finally his family would be one. After all he had always considered the tailed beasts as his children so he uttered the only thing he could say, "Thank You."

Once Naruto heard the acquiescence from his new partner, he released a breath in relief, "Thank you, Kurama."

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Kurama continued, "This is the only chance you will get Naruto. Don't betray me."

"I won't," Naruto concurred showing his determination, "You can count on it. Now let's seal the deal," saying that he raised his right arm out with a closed fist, "Put it there partner."

As Kurama brought his paws closer to the fist bump, Naruto smiled happily in remembrance of his old friend from the other timeline as they sealed their friendship with the same gesture. Even though he was sure that the Kurama from this timeline didn't know about the importance of the action, it was still an important sign in Naruto's mind for the new beginning in this timeline. Therefore, with a grin on his face that spread from ear to ear, Naruto whooped in the air in happiness as he finally got his partner back.

Happy at the connection that formed between the two, the 'Sage of Six paths' just smiled in content as a new connection formed between the two beings in front of him. Before he could think about it any further, Kurama asked him, "So, is this what you came for?"

Watching as Naruto settled down as well, the sage just smiled benignly, "It was part of the reason."

Sitting down beside the sage, Naruto smiled impishly, "What's the other reason? You came to give me your eyes as well?"

Chuckling at his antics the sage replied, "Do you want my eyes?"

"Huh?" Naruto said smartly before regaining his control as he saw the playful smirk on the sage's face, "No way. Sakura-chan likes my eyes as they are."

While the sage laughed at his answer he continued, "Unless of course, you can somehow turn them off, then I wouldn't mind them."

"Unfortunately, I have no way of turning them off, so you will have to make do without them I guess," He replied back, "No, the other reason is to teach you how to correctly access your chakra."

Hearing that Naruto tilted his head formed in confusion, "Chakra?"

"Yes child, I have seen the way you access yours and it is abysmal. If you are going to save the world with your wife then you need to learn the various intricacies of chakra."

"I don't understand. It's not like I am new to this and I have already saved the world once as well but what do mean?"

"Hmm, it's a lot harder to explain in words," Saying that he raised his right hand in front of him, "Okay, let me give you an example, tell me what you see in my hand."

As Naruto watched a small fire appeared in the hand of the sage. He concentrated on the flame thinking it was some kind of trick question, but when he saw nothing else he replied, "I just see a fire technique."

"Just as I thought," The sage replied nodding his head, "You didn't see anything different even when you are connected to nature. And that is what I am going to teach you Naruto. To see things differently around you, so that when you control chakra you can manipulate it in any way you want."

"Any way? Even the bloodline techniques?"

"What do you think the bloodline techniques are?"

"Well take Senju Hashirama, the first Hokage of our village, he was able to combine water and earth to give life to plants. Since then no one else has been able to do that except for another guy who was the product of experimentation."

"Yes but where does it say that only he could perform the technique? He was able to manipulate nature by understanding the harmony that exists within it. Even I can produce plants filled with life but I can assure you just combining water and earth does not bring them forward."

"Then?"

"You have to understand, what plants are. How they came to be, how they evolve, how they survive and multiply. You have to understand them right down to the very last piece and then recognize the growth mechanisms by which they sprout. That is what you have to manipulate for it to work," The sage emphasized.

"For this First Hokage of yours, he was able to do that instinctually but never really understood how it worked. That is why he was unable to pass it on."

"Wait, you are saying anyone can learn it?"

"Theoretically, it is possible for anyone to learn it but of course the vast majority will never be able to," He nodded his head in assent, "There are too many conditions that need to be met and then you need to have the physical abilities along with the right mental fortitude. Combining all that you would be surprised to find more than 2 people who even have the potential at any given time."

"So, I will be able to do it?"

"That will depend on you of course," he said pointedly, "I will teach you to understand your chakra. Once you truly comprehend it and all its various forms you will see that there will be nothing in this world that would seem impossible."

"To tell you the truth, I don't really get what you are trying to say but I can assure you, once I start learning it, I won't stop until I get the hang of it," Naruto said loudly.

Hearing his loud proclamation, Kurama who had been silent the whole time intervened, "You are wasting your time on him, Sage. He can't even control the chakra in his body, and you are talking about other forms of it."

Pointing his finger towards Kurama's snout, Naruto shouted, "And whose fault do you think it is that I have so much chakra huh?"

"Don't point your deficiencies towards me, you idiot."

As the banter kept going back and forth, the Sage just shook his head in amusement as Naruto and Kurama tried to outdo the other through outlandish claims. Thinking back to the fighting between the two, it was a pleasant surprise to see them arguing like old friends already. Still he had a job to do and that was to prepare his descendant to face anything in the world and come out on top. It was time for the world to see two new sages and it was his responsibility to teach one of them. So, breaking apart the duo of short tempered children he started on passing down his knowledge of the art of ninshu.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Floating in darkness, Haruno Sakura was trying to take in gulps of air as if her life depended on it. As she reached the floor she found herself unable to sit up as her legs gave out. Lying on the ground with her forehead resting on her hands she tried to calm her breathing down. In her mind she was shouting to the world at finally succeeding in her training. Never before had she been pushed to her limits like this and in a sense it felt good, however there was also a new determination within her. Watching the being in front of her, Sakura couldn't help but feel humbled. She had tried everything in her arsenal to put a dent on him but nothing she did was good enough. Even the new techniques she had gained didn't amount to much.

"Don't feel bad about it, Sakura," The spirit of nature smiled benignly, "With time you will improve even more."

"I understand Sensei. In a sense it's good to know that no matter how much I feel I know, there is always more that could be learned."

"That's a good position to take Sakura. It will keep you focussed. Never let that desire to learn die out."

Bowing her head in respect she asked, "Will I be able to go back now?"

"Yes," The spirit in the form of 'Rikudo Sennin nodded, "However, you won't be going back alone."

"Sensei?"

"When you appeared in this realm, I called upon your husband as well, in order to solve his problem regarding the spirit within him."

Comprehension dawning on her face, Sakura asked, "You appeared in the same form?"

"No, I personally did not approach him."

"So, he met the real person?"

"Come on Sakura," The spirit admonished slightly, "You should know better by now than to utter that statement."

Blushing slightly at her lack of thinking, she responded, "Sorry Sensei."

She knew it was pointless to argue but more than that she could understand the spirit's point of view. The face in front of her was made up, so it didn't matter whether she saw the person or not. The important part was understanding that she was part of nature, so feeling her environment was second nature to the point where eyes weren't needed. With Naruto and Kurama, the form of Rikudo Sennin was due to the same spirit in front of her, yet Rikudo Sennin was a separate person. It was hard to put it in words but the essence was that the Sage was part of nature and yet he was not. Whereas, Sakura had given up her humanity in the base form by giving up her human body and fully become part of nature. As such she was a spirit of nature as well.

"I see," Sakura said before bowing deeply once more, "Thank you for teaching me, Sensei."

"You are most welcome. Before, I leave you; I have just one more surprise for you.

Raising her head in anticipation, Sakura waited with baited breath, as the spirit came closer and touched her forehead. Experiencing the touch, she closed her eyes as she felt like floating on clouds. As she was going deeper into her consciousness, she heard, "Sakura, I have given you my mark. This officially makes you my daughter."

Hearing the words Sakura just smiled in content, "Thank you…father.

Sensing the joy felt by the spirit of nature, she listened, "Now for the surprise I mentioned; your husband at the moment is talking with people dear to his heart. So, I leave you with this chance of meeting your family. Hope you enjoy it."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Once, the spirit dispersed in the darkness, Sakura was left alone to contemplate the surprise awaiting Naruto's arrival. Suddenly a scene appeared in front of her that left her breathless as she recognized her husband Uzumaki Naruto talking animatedly with two people whom if Sakura's hunch was correct were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. She saw both parents smiling proudly at their son as they listened attentively to whatever he was talking about. Looking at the people Sakura teared up because the meeting would never be possible in the real world. So, she waited at a distance and watched the event with reverence to cherish and remember the time when Uzumaki Naruto acted like a kid in front of his parents for the rest of her life.

Looking at his wife and son, Namikaze Minato just smiled in happiness as he listened to his son's stories. It was dream come true for him to see his family together, since he and his wife both died on the same day leaving their son an orphan. However, if Naruto was to be believed they were given a chance to see their son due to the generosity of the person who was known as the 'Saviour of the world.' It was still hard for him to believe that 'Rikudo Sennin himself taught his son the secrets of chakra but watching Naruto's face he didn't see any lies or exaggerations. It was a proud moment for him to learn, his son was being trusted with the responsibility to save the world once again.

Breaking his chain of thought, the 'Yondaime Hokage' of Konoha, turned his head slightly to the side, as he saw a teenage girl about the same age as his son, observing them with tears in her eyes. He saw her looking at his son with happiness radiating on her face, so guessing her status as his daughter-in-law, he discreetly nudged his wife. Interrupting her son's nonstop chatting, Kushina intervened, "Naruto, you have someone to introduce to us."

Turning around, Naruto saw Sakura with tears in her eyes, though the delight in her expression belied any negative thoughts. Taking her form in, he disappeared from his spot and emerged in front of her, wrapping her in his arms immediately. As he held onto her, Sakura felt him shaking against her while he muttered, "Sakura-chan," over and over again. Bringing him closer, she held onto him just as closely, trying to calm him down. She knew his reaction was due to the ritual where he saw her lose her mind along with her death. That's why she never wanted him to be near her during the ritual. But he had insisted and now it was her turn to make sure his nightmares were taken away.

"Shh, I am here Naruto. Just as I said, I came back to you," She whispered.

As he loosened his hold on her Sakura looked up and found him staring at her with an intensity that took her breath away. Before she could think of anything else, he roughly kissed her on the lips. But she didn't back off and reciprocated with all her feelings as well. It was time to show each other that they were alright, so Uzumaki Naruto and Sakura lost themselves in the kiss.

As they were getting more and more into the kiss, there were twin sets of 'coughs' interrupting their impromptu make-out session. Suddenly, remembering the company Naruto had before he came towards her, Sakura's face turned bright red as she blushed. Even Naruto was not fairing any better as he had his eyes closed in embarrassment with red pigmentation on his face as well. When he looked at his parents he saw his mother almost jumping from joy, while his father had a serene smile on his face.

Gathering his wits about him, he took a step forward, "Mom, Dad this is Sakura-chan, my wife and your daughter-in-law."

Bowing her head in respect, Sakura said, "Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, it's an honour to meet you."

Looking at the newest member of his family, the 'Yellow Flash of Konoha' smiled, "Welcome to the family, Sakura-san."

His wife Kushina was less reserved with her welcome as she stepped forward and hugged her, "I am glad my son found someone who loves him so much. Thank you Sakura-chan. Thank you so much."

With tears in her eyes at the happy reception, Sakura embraced her back, "You are most welcome."

While the ladies were getting to know each other, Minato in his playfulness nudged Naruto, "See, this just proves you are my son."

Naruto just looked back at him confused, "Huh?"

"Our taste in women is too similar for it to be anything else," explaining further he elaborated, "One has red hair, the other has pink. Both of them are strong not just in physical sense but mentally as well. And no matter how strong you get I know when she puts her foot down, you can't deny her."

"What? That's not true," Naruto denied trying to retain his manliness in front of his father.

Shaking his head in the negative Minato just looked at his son in amusement, "It is. I know because I am the same way."

Raising his eyebrow, Naruto deadpanned, "That's not something to be proud of."

Shrugging his shoulders, Minato intoned, "Just stating the truth."

Before they could continue their banter anymore, the ladies in their life returned before Kushina said, "You should learn something from your father, Naruto. Listen to Sakura-chan whenever she says something because I like her."

Looking at his mother, Naruto said in surprise, "You have barely talked with her and you already like her?"

"Of course. She is strong and I know she can keep you in line. So, what's there not to like?"

"Mom!" Naruto said in feigned betrayal, "How could you?"

"Oh come off it you big baby," Kushina said in apparent amusement before she turned to Sakura, "You have removed a big load off our shoulders Sakura-chan. I was worried when Minato bound Kurama to Naruto that he would never find someone to love him. But you have given rest to our fears."

Taking over from his wife, Minato continued, "I agree, Sakura-san. We can both rest in peace knowing our son has someone with whom he can share his worries, his dreams and his hopes. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Touched by the worry and sincerity of their words, Sakura smiled gratefully, "You are welcome, Yondaime-sama."

Gasping a little, Minato said, "Yondaime? Sakura-san," moving his hand to his chest he showed a pained expression on his face, "Why? I thought we were family."

Blushing slightly, while trying to hide her giggling at the antics of such a powerful man, Sakura nodded her head in acknowledgement, "Sorry about that Father-in-law."

"Good that's much better because Yondaime makes me feel old."

While the rest of his family was laughing at his father's joke, Naruto was looking at him playfully. When Kushina noticed Naruto's reaction, she straightened her back a little because she knew that expression on her son's face. It was very easy for her to recognize it since it was the same expression she got thinking about something fun. Not letting it fester anymore, she spoke up, "Naruto, what are you thinking about?"

Looking at his mother, Naruto knew he had been caught, so he just smiled further and looked at Sakura. As soon as she saw the look, she smacked her forehead, "No, come on Naruto," seeing no change in his expression, she uttered, "Seriously?"

As Minato looked at his son he raised his eyebrow as he found blue eyes staring back at him, "Of course, I am, Sakura-chan. When else am I going to get a chance like this?"

"He is my father," Naruto said gleefully, "I am due for this one chance."

When she saw the confusion on the previous Hokage's face, she elaborated, "He wants to fight you, father-in-law."

Seeing the surprised expression on his father's face, Naruto smiled, "Of course I do. Come on dad, you are the only shinobi in the world with a SS-rank. I have always heard stories about the 'Konoha's Yellow Flash.' I want to test myself against you."

When Kushina saw, Minato stiffen at hearing Naruto's words, she knew he was having second thoughts. Knowing this was important to her son, she set about convincing her husband to give their son this one fight, "Are you sure Naruto?"

Watching his questioning look she continued, "Your father's strength can be overwhelming. You might actually get a complex-"

Naruto interrupted her before she could go any further, "Mom, I personally don't think he will be able to beat me," spotting surprise on his parents faces he elaborated, "I have studied him, extensively since I found out about the title of Hokage. Even if I can't beat him, I can match him for sure."

Hearing the declaration from his son, Minato was intrigued, "Now I am interested to see what you are talking about."

"So, we can fight?"

"Yeah, we can fight."

Jumping in the air, Naruto whooped with joy, "Yes!"

While her husband and son were moving away from them to make some space, Kushina looked at the calm expression on Sakura's face, "Is he telling the truth?"

Turning her head to her mother-in-law, Sakura smiled to reassure her, "You are aware that Naruto and I are older than we seem?" Getting a nod in reply, she continued, "Then trust me when I say this that Naruto will give it as good as he gets."

Looking at both men walking away from them she said, "He is strong, mother-in-law, very strong. There are not many people in the world who can match him."

"But you can," Kushina said in a simple statement.

There was no need to answer a statement like that because she knew it was true. Especially after her training, she knew she could match Naruto, so she just smiled lightly and bowed her head. Finding earnestness in her gaze, Kushina looked towards the two men in her life as well. She understood the message that Sakura sent loud and clear. She would stand by Naruto through thick and thin, not just metaphorically but literally as well. They were equals, so it was okay for Kushina to watch the fight in anticipation because it was just a way for Naruto to show his father, how much he had grown.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Getting far enough away from the ladies, Naruto and Minato faced each other. They looked into each other's eyes trying to measure the other person. Minato could see Naruto's excitement, it was almost palpable but more than that he was raring to go against him. Shelving his emotion, he stood ready to fight at a moment's notice. He knew taking his son lightly would mean his defeat and even though it was just a friendly spar, it was still a challenge to his namesake. So, he watched his opponent closely, waiting for any indication of movement before the battle started.

Naruto could have waited longer, it wouldn't have been a problem for him but he didn't know how long his parents had, so taking the opportunity by both hands he made the first move. Using the Shunshin no Jutsu, he appeared in front of his father but before he could land a single punch he saw the yellow flash.

Appearing behind him, Minato intoned, "You know, if this was a real battle, you would be dead."

"Are you sure dad?" Naruto asked.

Unable to move his kunai any further, Minato narrowed his eyes. Feeling the resistance from the front of the kunai, he disappeared to make some distance, "Was that wind manipulation?"

"Bingo," seeing the surprised look on his father's face, he continued, "Now it's my turn," before he flexed his chakra and saw seals materialize in his right hand.

Destroying the tag that his father put on his body, he smirked, "Nice tag, now let me show you my version," as he vanished from his spot.

Minato looked all around him trying to find Naruto as he disappeared from his view. Watching the technique, he felt proud, because Naruto had made the technique his own, even though the basic concept was similar. There was no sound, no light, not even smoke from which he could pinpoint the jutsu. Suddenly, he felt a kunai at his throat, not moving an inch he stilled as he heard, "Is this the first time, this has happened?"

"Not quite."

"Ero-sennin then?"

Listening to name, Minato asked in confusion, "Ero-sennin?"

"Ah, I meant Jiraiya-sensei. Sorry, the first time he met me he was peeping on women, so I named him that."

Chuckling slightly, he said, "I can imagine his reaction already."

"Yeah, but he is not as bad as Tsunade-baachan."

"Oh man, you are killing me here. She lets you get away with that?" Minato questioned, "You must have a strong pull on her." Saying that he activated his technique once again and vanished.

Not letting his father get away from him, Naruto appeared behind him before both of them disappeared.

From Kushina's and Sakura's point of view both shinobi were constantly appearing and disappearing all over the place. It seemed like Minato was trying to get away from Naruto but was unable to gain some distance. Confused Kushina asked Sakura, "I didn't see Naruto put a seal tag on Minato. How is he appearing wherever his father appears?"

"He didn't mark him in the usual way of touching the object. He used chakra to provide the end point. When father-in-law appeared behind Naruto in the first move that's when Naruto tagged him."

Astounded at the sheer brilliance and the skill required to pull something like that, she kept an eye on the fight, "Are you saying he doesn't really need seal tags? Then it is not the same technique because Minato's jutsu works on the same principle as summoning."

Thinking about how to explain it to Naruto's mother Sakura deliberated, "Hmm, the concept is the same however, we were able to modify the technique. You see instead of leaving the seal on the object, we have the seal on our bodies. This basically makes sure that we can imprint our chakra on anyone during a fight. Once it touches any part of the environment the seal is set to basically multiply unless we tell it to stop."

"Wait, you created a seal that can multiply by itself?" Receiving a nod from Sakura, Kushina could only ask, "How?"

Looking at her mother-in-laws stunned expression she smiled in understanding. After all it was not every day that people were able to create self-sustaining seals. Before she could answer Kushina continued, "It was part of one of the most important research topics in Uzushiogakure. But no one in our history was able to come up with a technique that could utilize the nature's chakra to maintain a seal outside of the body and duplicate it. I would know because my father was the head of the department."

"It was a fluke on our part. When we started, our goal was to create a seal that could be sustained out of the body to pass the chakra between conduits but once we added nature's chakra to the mix there were some interesting results."

"I see. So, how is it working? Is Naruto providing the chakra right now?" Kushina asked.

"Yes but they can be sustained on their own using the chakra from nature if we require so."

"Basically, the seal is multiplying in different directions and Minato is probably already covered in seals as well. Am I correct?"

Nodding her head Sakura didn't say anything. Both of them knew that without this facet of information it would be very hard for Minato to figure out the true technique to be able to counter it.

Meanwhile in the fight, Minato was getting frustrated with all the running that he was doing. It was a first for him after the fight with the masked man where his every move was being read. Using the time while he was running away, he tried to find the seal tag, though he came up with nothing. Not having a choice he slammed both his hands on the ground, "Seal release: Negation Barrier."

Changing direction in midair Naruto back flipped before disappearing once more to get away from the barrier that his father had created, "Not bad old man."

Not rising to the taunt from his son, he stood up inside the barrier, "You are not too bad yourself. I am extremely proud to see you taking my technique to another level. Marking me with chakra, I can only imagine the level of skill that requires."

"Don't be impressed just yet old man, I have something truly terrifying to show you yet, so just hold on to your pants," Saying that he cut both his thumbs. Quickly moving his hands in an intricate pattern, he formed a blood seal in the air. Slamming his hands on the ground he whispered, "Seal Release: Terminate contract."

Once the technique took hold, Minato felt himself loosing connection with his seal tags all over the battlefield, "Interesting, is it similar to contract seal?" To him it felt similar to his technique that he used to cut the connection between the masked man and Kyuubi no Yoko.

"Yes, except this is for wider area," Naruto said with seriousness, "Now let's get on with it."

As he approached his father, he felt the barrier give away signifying it's cancellation. Naruto knew due to his seal neither of them would be able to use the 'Hiraishin' or it's variant. So, he did the next best thing. Soon as the barrier fell, he threw a kunai towards his father.

When Minato saw the Kunai coming, he twisted his body to the side to let it pass by but then he noticed the kunai in its shadow coming straight towards his head. Ducking the second kunai, he saw Naruto disappear in front of him. Recognizing the signs of the Kawarimi no Jutsu, he felt his son appear on top of him as the kunai was replaced.

"What?" Naruto whispered, as his punch met empty air, except for the kunai that he replaced himself with, "Nicely done dad, that Kawarimi was beautiful."

"Why thank you son. I try," Minato said from Naruto's original position.

"But it won't save you," yelling the last statement, Naruto released a volley of shuriken at his father, "Kage shuriken no jutsu."

Watching the skilful use of the technique, the 'Yellow flash' saw the spread made sure that he wouldn't be able to Kawarimi somewhere else, so making hand seals he tapped his foot on the ground, "Earth Release: Protective Barrier," as mud appeared from the ground and wrapped itself around him, hardening into earth.

Not letting his father get a reprieve, Naruto slammed his hands together before opening them up palms outward and a great gale of wind sped up the shuriken instantly. When the shuriken connected, Naruto saw his father get destroyed but the body turned into earth, so he kept a lookout as he could sense his father underground.

As soon as he felt him come up from the ground behind him, Naruto helped the process by raising the earth and making him lose his balance. When Minato appeared outside, he found an elbow to the stomach, followed by an elbow to the face. As he was flying backwards the only thought going through his mind was, '_Beautifully done_,' before he regained his footing and back flipped to a stop.

He knew his son was already in motion when he was flying through the air, so as soon as he landed, he went through hand seals quickly and spread his hands outward, "Lightning Release: Arcing circle," as the lightning technique spread around him in a circle.

Observing the technique Naruto just smirked wrapping him with wind he slammed into the circle of lightning before he soared away due to a series of explosions. Landing on his feet with his clothes singed he said awed, "No way. You can manipulate chakra to this level?" Shaking his head side to side in disbelief, he grinned, "I knew you were awesome dad. You remembered my wind element from earlier, so when I came closer you changed the lightning element to fire mid technique."

"I had to do something. After all it won't do to just get beaten up the whole time."

"Then allow me to finish this off dad," Suddenly serious Naruto released his chakra in great quantity surrounding his father.

Minato's eyes widened at the sheer quantity of chakra that his son just dispersed. He was not heedless of the people who had large amounts of chakra, his wife was one of them but this was just ridiculous in his opinion. Looking at his son, he could see that he wasn't even winded before he could contemplate it any further; he felt the sudden intrusion of chakra in his body. Not letting it fester he quickly stopped his chakra flow as he felt the chakra leave him just to be bombarded with more. Feeling a genjutsu take hold he kept a lookout for his son, however, he only saw the darkness surrounding him. Closing his eyes he flared his chakra but the illusions kept coming back. Not having a choice, he released a scroll from his Jounin vest underneath the cloak and spreading his blood on it, slammed it into the ground, "Seal Release: Chakra Absorption," After the technique took hold, he rose his head from the ground and found himself staring at the business end of the Rasengan just outside the seal's operating distance.

"Damn," Naruto uttered, "If you had done any other seal, you would have been dead."

Gulping at the sheer brilliance of the light coming from the Rasengan, Minato agreed, "Tell me about it. Though I have to say, staring at my own technique from the opponent's point of view is a little unnerving," Getting up he moved forward signifying the end of the fight, "But I am happy that Jiraiya-sensei taught you the technique. It is your birth right after all."

Grinning at the approval from his father Naruto smiled playfully, "Don't get too impressed dad. I have another technique to show you.

Seeing the curiosity on his father's face, Naruto created two clones. Walking a little ways away he looked back, "Now watch closely," breathing in deeply, he opened his eyes showing the horizontal pupil signifying the full activation of sage mode.

When Minato saw the formation of the shuriken like technique he felt his jaw drop. He had seen the way Naruto held the Rasengan, while his clones provided the nature and the shape manipulation to sustain the technique. As the wind picked up from the technique, Naruto looked back at his father to find his eyes totally wide, so winking at him he threw the technique, "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken."

After the destruction was over, Naruto felt his mother and Sakura join his father though both his parents had trouble blinking, "So what do you think?"

Catching his breath Minato just looked at his son, "That was beautiful. I am so proud Naruto."

Getting her wind back, Kushina just came forward and hugged her son, "You have grown so much, sochi."

Looking at his father, Naruto said, "Kakashi-sensei told me how you didn't have the chance to complete the technique. I am just glad I was able to show you the finished product."

"Just in time too, I guess," Minato said, as he looked at his wife, "Our time seems to be at an end."

Understanding that it was time for his parents to leave, Naruto nodded his head, a little sadness seeping in his voice, "Yeah, I know."

"Hey now none of that sadness alright, it's a happy occasion for our family," Kushina said trying to make her son look at the positive side of their meeting. Then looking at Sakura she continued, "I am glad I was able to meet you Sakura. It gives me peace of mind to know there is someone to look after my Naruto. So, thank you once again."

Holding Naruto's hand to provide support to him, Sakura looked at her in-laws, "I will take care of him. I promise. I am just glad I was able to meet you both."

Looking at his family, as both his wife and he started to fade, Minato gazed at Naruto, "Take care of Sakura-san, Naruto. She is your responsibility as well. Together the two of you can do anything, so stick with it alright."

With tears in their eyes Naruto and Sakura both bowed their heads in respect as they watched his parents move on. Once, it was just the two of them Sakura just held Naruto to provide support during his time of need. She knew he was happy to meet his parents but there was sadness from the separation as well. However, just like anything else both of them would gather themselves and move on because life didn't stop and they had responsibilities in the real world.

Gathering himself, Naruto stood up straight, "Shall we go back as well?" He asked as he looked at Sakura.

Nodding her head, she turned her gaze to the left, "Yeah, but we won't go back to the Whirlpool village."

"Why?"

"Because there is something I have to do in 'The village hidden in the Mist'."

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><p>***OMT***<p>

_**The chapter is finally finished. May be some of you will be intrigued by it to hang around a little bit more. If you are worried about this story turning into Gods giving freebies or something...don't worry it won't happen. I have a very specific point in mind with that storyline and I am pretty sure many of you won't see it coming. I don't need to give Naruto and Sakura dues ex machina's. They are strong enough, they don't need more power if you are worried about them owning everyone left and right. **_

_**Does this count as a cliffhanger? I didn't want to go any further, since my head is still spinning. So, I will go lie down and sleep.**_

_**You guys enjoy and please review. **_


	6. Adaptive Planning

**_Hey guys. Sorry for the long delay between chapter 5 and 6. The accident that I had in April, last year turned out to be a lot worse. Since, then I have had constant problems what with micro-fractures and spinal cord problems. The major obstacle has been my wrists. I have not been able to gain dexterity back, so I can't even type as my hands hurt a lot. Worse was bleeding inside the eyes causing temporary blindness. Not being able to see is worse than I imagined. Anyway, I am still going through therapy more than 8 months later and my wrists are not fully healed. I have already had two operations but I still haven't regained proper mobility. I hope you get the general idea why I haven't been able to post anything. This chapter took me all this time to type. I have asked my brother for some help, if he agrees then you might get a new chapter soon otherwise please be patient. If my operation at the end of this month goes well then I might be able to use my fingers to type. Until then I am really sorry for the delay. _**

**_Another thing I wanted to say was thank you for the reviews. Hopefully, I will be able to answer individually to each and every one of you. If I can't please know that I read every one of them and do try to take your words under consideration. To those of you who expressed concern regarding last chapter with Sakura being the daughter of Kami, the only thing I can say is that yes, I made that decision after thinking about it. That statement will have certain implications in the story but if anyone is expecting Sakura to just come in and pwn all the opponents then you are wrong. Please give me a little credit; I don't like reading stories where authors use deus ex machina, so I sure as hell won't write about it. I said it from the first chapter that Naruto and Sakura would be strong and I stand by it. This is not a story about an underdog character at all. In fact I intend to make sure the enemies realize that their victory is not as assured as they thought. _**

**_In case you didn't get it let me make it clear: When Uchiha Madara (and his relative or clone or whatever) with their super powered magical red eyes, woody woodpeckers and concentric circle eyepiece come into the picture, they won't be pwning Naruto or Sakura left and right. The fights will showcase power between people of equal level. Other than that if it still displeases any one, you are more than welcome to read other stories from this wonderful website. I think I can do justice to the characters but I still want to write the story my way. _**

**_Last thing I want to mention is a change in formatting. I read several reviews where people complained about the difficulty they had to distinguish between Naruto and Sakura talking through the link and when they were actually speaking. To rectify the problem, for this chapter I have made sure that when they talk through the link, you will see these […] brackets. For regular talk it would be quotation marks, whereas Kurama's words will be bolded and when he talks with Naruto, please assume that Naruto is not talking out loud even though I am using quotation marks for their conversation. If you have a better way for me to represent it, I am willing to listen. Any way enough of my rant please go ahead and read._**

Link talk: [….] (Bracket use)

Disclaimer: **_I don't own Naruto manga or anime. It's all a property of Kishimoto and Shueisha. I also, don't make any money out of it and only write because I want to play around the wonderful world that Kishimoto created. I understand that my story is not everyone's cup of tea and can only suggest other wonderful writers on the website. If that doesn't sate your thirst may be reading professional work would be right up your alley. I can heartily recommend this Kishi-guy. Creates good characters he does._**

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Akatsuki Base

In a middle of a dark cave situated in the Hidden Village of Rain, several images emerged from the shadows. The darkness of the chamber was further heightened by the sinister aura visible from the person in the middle of the room. With the concentric circles of the Rinnegan appraising everyone the tense atmosphere made everyone stay alert, as if waiting for an attack to happen.

However, there was one person there who stood nonchalantly on top of the left thumb of the demonic statue of the Outer Path, humming quietly to himself. The quietness of the chamber made the sound more pronounced and the scene more eerie due to oppressive pressure from the man with the Rinnegan eyes.

Getting frustrated from standing around and the incessant humming, Hidan glared at the masked man, "Shut the fuck up Tobi or I will sacrifice you to Lord Jashin."

As soon as the words were uttered the humming stopped abruptly, "Ooh, I am so scared!" Tobi exclaimed.

Hearing his mocking tone, Hidan growled, "That's it…You are dead."

Before he could jump from his place his partner Kakuzu stopped him, "Stay down, Hidan…I don't want to waste any more time here than I have to."

"You want to taste my blade too, Kakuzu? Janshin-sama-"

"Silence!" Uttered the leader with the Rinnegan, "We don't have the time for this bickering," It was the testament of the amount of power he had as everybody quieted down without him even having to raise his voice.

Turning towards the entrance of the cave, he saw a plant like man with white and black skin color emerge from the ground, "Zetsu…You are late."

Looking at all the members present on the hands of the statue except for Deidara, Zetsu turned towards the leader, "Yeah, there were unexpected complications."

As he got everybody's attention he continued, "Akasuna no Sasori is dead, though I don't know how he died."

As he looked at the leader's narrowed eyes the black side of the plant man growled, "**There was some kind of barrier that prevented us from observing the battle**," Taking over the white side went on, "The rumour has it that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and his female teammate were the ones to kill the puppet user. They both were invited to the Daimyo's palace in the Fire country right after they left, Suna."

"Oh… the Kyuubi kid has become unexpectedly strong, if he can take out Sasori now," Kisame smirked exposing his sharpened teeth and restrained bloodlust.

"Sasori turned out to be unexpectedly weaker, if a wet behind the ears Genin was able take him out," said Kakuzu, wearing a face mask that covered his nose and mouth, wearing a headband from Takigakure.

"Be that as it may," Pein interrupted, asking Zetsu, "How did Konoha find out about the missing Kazekage so quickly?"

Shaking his head in the negative Zetsu continued, "I don't know. There was no information that I was able to glean from Konoha or the Fire country palace."

"This is disturbing news," Pein said with increased killing intent, "There might be a traitor in our midst, passing on the information if Konoha was able to mobilize this early."

"How many teams from Konoha were dispatched to Suna?"

"Three teams," Zetsu said, "Only the Jinchuuriki's team intercepted Deidara and Sasori."

As the killing intent increased everybody grew even tenser, "So, not only was Konoha somehow was able to find out about Ichibi Jinchuurki's kidnapping right when it happened, they were also aware of our hideout in the Fire Country for them to thwart of plans."

Nobody said anything for a while as each member looked at others around them absorbing the information and the intent behind the words, "What about Deidara?"

Nodding his head, Zetsu looked at the leader, "I saw the battle between Deidara and Sharingan Kakashi, though not the opening gambit due to the presence of the barrier. Halfway through, the Ichibi Jinchuurki joined him against Deidara."

"It must have been the Kyuubi Jinchuurki's teammate who healed him, before he joined the battle," Itachi noted as every eye in the cave turned towards him, "She is the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage."

Turning towards Zetsu once more, Pein asked, "And where is Deidara right now?"

"**He is resting**," Zetsu black half growled, "**He was barely able to survive the Kazekage's wrath.**"

Letting it all sink in, the leader of the Akatsuki continued, "It seems we have underestimated our competition. Make sure this doesn't happen again."

Turning towards the individual with an orange mask on his face, Pein continued, "Tobi, you will join Deidara and go after the Sanbi for now."

"Yay! Tobi is part of the group now...Do I get the pretty rings too?"

Zetsu saw the question on Pein's face, "There was nothing left of Sasori's that I was able to find. The area was absolutely clear."

Facing the group once more, Pein intoned, "For now Tobi will join Deidara and get the Sanbi, while Hidan and Kakuzu will go after the Nibi Jinchuuriki."

"Tch, what a waste of time this was…," Kakuzu growled under his breath, "I lost a lot of money for this meeting, I hope the Nibi Jinchuurki can make up for it."

"Oh shut up, you miserable, money grubbing bastard," Hidan said as he phased out of the cave.

When the rest of the member had phased out and Pein's projection technique ended, Tobi turned towards the rinnegan user, "You know what to do," before disappearing.

Watching the masked person disappear, Pein said nothing as only Konan and him were left in the cave. He knew the masked person was dangerous with a different plan of his own, though at the moment he wasn't aware of what that plan entailed. But he was the God of Amegakure, while the masked man was a mortal who would be defeated when his time came. For now Pein would bid his time and continue with his plan. Walking out of the cave Pein looked up as the rain poured from the sky before walking away.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Watching an unconscious Sakura fall from the sky, Naruto moved to intercept her from hitting the ground. They were 100 feet in the air, so falling from that height would be fatal for her. Reaching her he matched the speed at which she was falling and gently scooped her up in his arms.

He could see that she was hurt with bruises travelling from the top of the head to the bottom of her feet. As he was observing her he saw her face was slightly blue, which had alarm bells ringing in his head. Thinking she might be suffering from constriction of her throat he was ready to teleport straight to Konoha but when he saw her breathing normally he stopped himself. Before he could think of anything further, Naruto heard Kurama inside his head.

"**Calm down, Naruto. It's because of Isoku's chakra that she has the blue color.**"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto exhaled slowly to compose himself. Landing on the ground he gently placed Sakura on a flat bed of rock a little ways off the lake where they fought the bijuu. Brining his hand towards her face, he gathered some chakra and moulded it to cover his hand in a water technique, lightly caressing Sakura's face to clear it of dirt and grime.

"Sakura-chan, you are going to give me a heart attack someday."

Watching her face grimace in pain, he pressed his fingers to her forehead and massaged it gently. There was very little he could do for her right now because there was physically nothing wrong with her. As far as he could see the wounds on her body were healing rapidly and the only indication that there was something out of the ordinary was the blue color of her skin and that was only because of the tailed beast that she was trying to hide within her.

Interrupting his train of thought, Kurama intervened, "**She is a strong Kunoichi Naruto…I think she will be fine**."

"I know. Trust me I know better than you how strong she really is but that doesn't make it any less worrisome for me," Chuckling slightly he continued, "I can see how she must have felt when I was the one being reckless in my time."

"**You are speaking as if, you have seen it all Naruto**," Kurama snorted.

"I might be in a body of a teenager Kurama but I am quite a bit old. You should remember that by now."

"**Maybe you are old for a human but I am still quite a bit older than you, if nothing else than heed my advice and stop worrying about the little things.**"

"Little things?" Naruto shook his head, "You don't understand Kurama…without her there is nothing else for me. She is putting herself in a lot of danger this time because she wants to make sure that we have our preparations finished in time."

"This is the second time that Sakura-chan is lying in front of me and I can't even help her," Naruto scowled, "It's maddening."

Growling, the nine tailed Bijuu snapped, "**Stop moping around. She is only resting considering the strain her body is going through. She is not dying so stop sitting on your ass and get out of here.**"

"Geez, why are you so jumpy?"

"**Because idiot, in case you forgot, you are still in Water country and there are people coming towards the lake. So leave unless you want to fight them off.**"

"Yeah, Yeah…," Naruto said nonchalantly as he got up on unsteady legs holding Sakura bridle style, "I am running on empty here so I will give fighting a pass for now."

Concentrating on the seal left behind on the island back in Uzugakure, Naruto vanished from the Lake in the water country, appearing inside the seal matrix, on the island of Uzu where Sakura performed her ritual. Looking around he tried to get a read of the area, to see if there was anyone else besides the both of them. Finding nothing out of place he walked out of the ritual circle towards the makeshift tent that they had erected before executing the technique.

Laying Sakura on the sleeping bag, he pulled out a scroll from inside his coat and opened it with the barest of chakra to take out a soft pillow, arranging it underneath Sakura's head. Sitting back he took a deep breath to calm his fast beating heart as the effects of chakra exhaustion started to kick in. He had a lot of chakra, more than any other human on the planet but keeping a tailed beast's attack from scattering the countryside took a lot more out of him than he imagined.

'I guess I shouldn't be surprised that even now things are not as easy as we thought,' shaking his to ward off sleep he thought back to the few minutes after his parents had left them. As soon as he thought that they were finally going home, Sakura threw a wrench in his plans by wanting to go to Water country.

**_Flashback_**

"_Mizu? What exactly do you have to do in Mizu?" Naruto asked Sakura._

_Seeing his puzzled face, Sakura wanted to kiss him so badly but listening to his thoughts as he tried to come up with a reason for her sudden desire to go to the Water country she stopped herself. They would have plenty of time for that but an opportunity of going to the water country straight from this plane of existence for both of them would be very hard in the future since she would be the only one to be able to access it. _

"_Well, there is an organic substance there that I was told would be perfect for us, when we create our weapons."_

"_Substance?...And what weapon are we creating?" Naruto asked getting even more puzzled. _

"_The Uzumaki family heirlooms that is going to become the mark for our family," Sakura smiled slightly in remembrance because this time they will be able to become parents, "What the weapons are, we can decide later based on what works best but it's the materials that matter more."_

"_This substance is organic even though it acts as a metal. But that's not the best part. It is saturated with chakra…nature's chakra to be precise in the purest of form," looking in Naruto's eyes she grabbed his hand, "Naruto, if we do this right then the weapon has the ability to become partly sentient."_

_Raising his eyebrow in wonder Naruto asked, "Something like Kisame's sword? Or the rest of seven swordsmen?"_

_Moving her head in the negative, she thought about explaining it better, "That's really rudimentary and other than a few requirements the swords are not sentient."_

"_No what I am talking about is creating something totally different…Sensei told me to think in terms of creating a machine that after you give a set of instruction to would be able to make decisions based on how it was created."_

"_Machine?"_

"_It's very hard to explain," she said trying to think of a way to explain it better, "What the weapons looks like and how it will perform will depend on what we want and how we go about making them but it's the material that matters more," Sakura stressed._

_Naruto did not get it, he had even tried looking through the link but even then he wasn't able to understand what exactly Sakura was getting at. The gist of the matter was that Sakura wanted them to have personalized protection units or something, 'Whatever that means.'_

"_So, this material is special because of its chakra?"_

_Nodding her head, Sakura replied, "In a sense…Yeah, it's special because it has been saturated with chakra for so long that the organic ability of the substance has allowed it to form chakra pathways. It can expand and contract like Akimichi do it with their bodies. It can be subdivided and still work as a whole like the Aburame's insects. It can form a bond with you like the Inuzuka's partner. And there are a whole lot of other things that it can do."_

_Eyes wide with surprise, Naruto stepped back a bit, "What kind of metal does that?"_

"_It's not a metal, Naruto…that's why I said it's organic."_

"_Yeah, but still…I would have thought that if something this amazing existed than other people would have already made use of it."_

"_They have to some extent. The swords of the seven swordsmen are prime examples. The gifts that we received from the Mizukage in our previous lives had a bit of this substance as well."_

_Getting even more confused, Naruto asked, "So what's so different about this time? If you are talking about our weapons from last time they were great but nothing that I can't live without?"_

_Smiling slightly, she shook her head at Naruto's questions, "Those things would pale in comparison to what I have in mind," taking pity on him she elaborated, "First of all we will be making them ourselves, which would already make it more personalized than anything else but there has been no one in this world who had the ability to make a weapon like this."_

"_When I performed the ritual, you saw how I was connected to the universe right?" Seeing his nod she continued, "Well, I have the ability to bring that stuff to this dimension. It's my domain, a whole another world where I make the rules."_

_Raising his eyebrows in awe of Sakura's explanation, Naruto noticed that he had started to float in the air without any technique, "Almost, any rules."_

_As he dropped on the ground and regained his balance he thought about the implications of her words, 'Almost means there are limits.'_

"_And what are the limits?" He asked in anticipation._

_Smiling slightly as her husband got the point, she pointed out, "Look around you, it's empty. I can change some of the basic laws of this place. That's how you can see me because I can Increase or decrease gravity, temperatures etc. or create water, fire, mountains but creating living things is a problem."_

"_So, you want to bring the material here?" Naruto asked looking around. Noticing how black everything looked._

"_Once we leave this plane, I will be the only one who can enter here. Everyone else is barred."_

"_Not even me Sakura's chan?" Naruto pouted showing his puppy dog eyes._

_Shaking her head at her husband's antics, she replied, "No one… that's what sensei said."_

"_Sensei?"_

_Looking at his questioning expression, she illuminated, "This time when I performed the ritual, things went a bit differently. I was able to meet a very powerful being," thinking about it a little she amended, "The sage of six paths would be the easiest way to describe it."_

"_You too?" Naruto questioned, "Kurama and me met him too. He made things infinitely easier between us."_

"_I know."_

_Stupefied, Naruto could only ask, "What do you mean?"_

"_Naruto the sage of six paths was a powerful man but he was just that a man," Sakura grabbed hold of Naruto's hand once more knowing the next revelation would be ground breaking, "The sage of six paths died a millennia ago."_

"_Then whom did I meet?"_

"_The sage of six paths was the avatar of this being, we know him by many names, though Kami or shinigami are the most common."_

_To say he was startled would be an understatement; he could even feel Kurama's shock at this disclosure. Meeting a supreme being, the person who kick started his life right after he came out of his mother's womb would astonish anyone into silence, "Wha-?"_

_Seeing Sakura's patient smile, Naruto reigned in his stunned look, "Okay, let me get this straight. I met Rikudo Sennin who was the avatar of Kami but since the guy was dead that means that we met Kami in Sage's form?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_And you were trained by Kami itself?"_

_Nodding her head Sakura waited patiently for his next question, "So what did you get trained in?"_

"_Everything...," Seeing his surprised expression she kept going, "I can't use chakra like a normal human being anymore, during the ritual my body was supposed to be remade using the cellular components that we gathered before. Microbes were supposed to be an inherent part of me."_

_Nodding his head at her explanation, he listened as she expounded on it, "What I did not expect was for nature itself to intervene in the ritual. He/she/it whatever you want to call it, wanted me to become part of nature itself. I have a lot more power now but I had to give up being human."_

"_So what? You are a deity yourself?"_

"_If I am, then a very minor one that can apparently be killed and doesn't have any dues ex machina to flat line her enemies," Sakura said in a deadpan voice._

_Chuckling slightly at her way of explaining her powerlessness, Naruto shook his head, "Well, you have always been my goddess, if that's any help."_

_Smiling at his flirtation she stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss as a reward, "You are a very sweet man, husband mine."_

"_I try, Sakura-chan," kissing her forehead, he brought the conversation back to the topic at hand, "So, you can't use chakra now?"_

"_I use nature's chakra Naruto…in its purest form, which means I can use any element as I don't have any particular affinities. Unlike you I don't have to sit still to gather chakra, it's always there for me and the microbes are so in tune with me that I am them. "_

"_So, this thing doesn't make you human anymore?" Naruto asked in confusion as it didn't seem any different than what he did._

"_A human without chakra is not possible. I am human and yet something more at the same time."_

"_Hmm…you don't seem any different to me Sakura-chan," Raising his hand in quotation marks he asked, "This not human stuff seems like a gimmick to me."_

_Watching Naruto's quotation marks Sakura said sarcastically, "Well what did expect? That I would be so strong that one look at enemies and they would cower before me? Or maybe you expected me to pull out magical red eyeballs to put people in Genjutsu, or use unstoppable fires, or apparently impenetrable defences?"_

_Laughing at her mocking of the Uchiha's Naruto smirked, "Well that would have made life a lot easier, you know? If you had magical eyeballs that could copy bloodlines that would have made it all the more easier…You know copy a Sharingan here, a Rinnegan there and some other bloodlines. Then just combine them and bam new ultimate attack," he said theatrically, "You will have the world beneath your feet."_

_Snickering at his talk about world domination, "Well, I have my own things like better healing ability, a few new attacks, and better utilization of chakra, faster synapses and few other things."_

"_Better utilization of chakra? I got schooled in that too," Shaking his head in wonder, "I never knew that there was so much I was missing about chakra. It really was eye opener."_

"_Yeah, I agree. Dividing the chakra in its parts was such a task before."_

"_That's to be expected right? I mean who in the village was there to help us? In our last life by the time we got the chance to actually understand chakra we were busy and so set in our ways that it was impossible."_

_She knew in their past life they took things for granted, whether it was based on what their elders told them or their teachers. Naruto being unable to perform Genjutsu was prime example. If he tried and failed that would have been different but being told that you would never be able to perform Genjutsu was not conducive to learning. It was Naruto's determination later in life that he gave Genjutsu a try and was able to perform it. _

_It might not have been the normal way of doing it but that was alright, at least he had the ability and a chance to perform it. After he was able to accomplish his task, Naruto had confided in her about how he thought it was such a waste that he was not able to do Genjutsu when he was in the academy. It was the ultimate tool for pranksters that he felt it was a chance wasted._

"_So are you able to perform better with chakra now?" She asked to confirm her suspicion._

"_Yup, learned a lot of things, now I know when I am wasting chakra. And my control is at its highest. I am not at your level Sakura-chan but now I know when and how much chakra I am wasting for any technique, so I can minimize the wastage fairly well."_

_Looking at her smile, he continued, "Of course it helps that Kurama is not actively fighting me anymore, since the seal is fully open, I feel a lot better."_

"_I am glad for the both of you. Seems we got our guardian back huh?" Sakura said as she put her hand on Naruto's heart, "I should go and say hello to Kurama, I guess."_

_Closing his eyes, Naruto found his consciousness being pulled towards the seal with Sakura following behind as they reached Kurama's chamber at the same time. _

_Staring at the majestic beast before her, Sakura couldn't help but be nostalgic about their old friend. This Kurama might have been the same being as the one last time but there was a fundamental difference. The Bijuu from the previous time had become their friend and that friendship had lasted a lifetime, whereas with the Kurama in front of her they would have to start all over again. She hoped that they would be able to become as good if not better friends than last time. _

_So bowing her head she greeted, "Hello Kurama. It's nice to finally meet you."_

_Seeing the human bowing to him in the most respectful of ways and watching her facial expressions, Kurama could tell that she was honest in her feelings. It also helped that he could sense feelings of malice, which was absent from her, though he was surprised to see the wistful expression on her face. It was one of longing that one gets when one sees someone after a long time. He guessed that this female and his counterpart must have been good friends if her expressions were anything to go by._

_So bowing his head slightly he spoke, "**You are Haruno Sakura**."_

"_Only to the outside world because we haven't tied the knot. But in here and between us I would prefer to go by Uzumaki Sakura if you don't mind," Sakura said politely._

"**_Very well then, Uzumaki Sakura it is. I guess you really are Naruto's mate then_**_."_

_Genuflecting she continued, "Thank you and yes, you are right, Naruto and I are married already. At least for us we are."_

_Watching Kurama nod his head in understanding she smiled, "I hope we can be friends as well, Kurama. If you want to talk anytime please let me know."_

"**_I will keep your offer in mind. It is good that you are not afraid of my power, it will make things easier._**_"_

"_Of course."_

"_What a touching reunion this is," Naruto smirked from the sidelines as he heard Kurama's growl, "Oh calm down you big bad fox, Sakura-chan will win you over in no time at all. For now though we need to go to Mizu apparently."_

_Nodding her head, Sakura bowed one last time, "See you again Kurama. Please don't be a stranger. Since Naruto and I can communicate telepathically if you want you can converse with me that way as well."_

"**_Very well then, until I see you next time_**_."_

_Appearing out of the mindscape, Naruto looked at Sakura, "Well that went better than last time wasn't it?"_

"_Considering that last time Kurama tried to kill me, I would say it went substantially better"_

_Chuckling at the incident last time, Naruto brought them to the topic at hand, "So, what about the material? You want to bring it here?"_

"_Yeah, here I would be able to create what I want and trust me on this once it is done you will love me for it."_

"_I already do Sakura-chan," Looking around him he asked, "So how do we get out of here?"_

"_First let me check, whether the area is clear or not," she said, while going through hand seals, "Dimensional mirror."_

"_Woah!" Naruto exclaimed as the area he was standing on turned transparent, showing beautiful scenery with mountains surrounding a lake in the middle. Observing closely he noticed that there was no sign of human activity around the area. It was totally empty. _

"_It's amazing isn't it?" Sakura asked as gazed at Naruto's expressions, "The first time I did this technique I felt like falling, though a minute later I did fall as my concentration broke and I was stuck between the two planes."_

_Snickering at her mistake, Naruto asked, "What's the closest human settlement to this place? Do you know?"_

"_Probably 10 to 12 kilometers, it's far away in the wilderness that we shouldn't find anyone there," Sakura pointed as she zoomed out of the scenery, "The only reason I know of this place is because sensei told me about it and now I can sense the material."_

_Nodding his head in understanding, Naruto raised his hands above his head to work out the kinks in his shoulders, "So, what's the plan?"_

_Zooming in towards the lake, Sakura pointed, "We will appear right at the bottom of the lake. This will make is easier for us as we don't have to waste energy going down. But the bottom of the lake is deep enough that we have to worry about pressure, so you will maintain the technique to keep us alive while I will dig out the stuff."_

"_Okay," nodding his head he memorized the area around the lake for when they had to come out, "How much of this stuff are we taking?"_

"_All of it."_

"_What!" he exclaimed in surprise, "How many tonnes it that going to be? Sakura-chan I know I am strong and all but even I can't take the pressure under the lake and carry all the material with us especially not all of it."_

"_Of course I know that Naruto-" Before she could go any further Naruto interrupted her._

"_You have enough water proof scrolls to pack all the stuff in?"_

"_Nope, but then I don't need to pack anything in scrolls. As soon as I dig the material I will send it to this realm. After that I can sort it out myself."_

"_Oh…Thank you," he said in relief, "I thought I was a goner for sure."_

_Sniggering at her husband's antics she shook her head, "You would have been fine."_

"_Yeah sure, it's not like you would have to do the hard stuff."_

"_Oh shut up and activate the technique you big baby," Sakura mocked forming seals to get out of the realm. _

_Watching Sakura, he bobbed his head in acknowledgement, while biting both thumbs and performing the hand seals, "Seal Release: Pressure Barrier," as soon as the barrier formed, Naruto used both thumbs to write a seal on the palm of both hands before bringing them together, "Seal Release: air pressure control," then spreading his arms out he touched the walls of the barrier, "Seal Release: system freeze."_

_With Naruto performing the technique Sakura kept an eye on the surrounding area around the lake to keep out any last minute surprises. As soon as she heard the first technique, she got ready to materialize them out of the plane. With the barrier in place they would be able to make sure the water was kept out of barrier. The second technique would make sure that the air pressure was maintained at all times within the barrier. _

_It was essential that they protect themselves otherwise there was a very good chance of liquefying their body due to the negative effect of high pressure. The third technique allowed Naruto to freeze the air, temperature and humidity to keep them at a constant level. Considering that the deeper you go the colder it gets and they were going to the very bottom of the lake, it was the third technique that would basically take all of Naruto's concentration to maintain. It was a very chakra intensive technique and there were very few people in the world who could even perform much less maintain it for the time period that Sakura wanted._

_As soon as the third technique was stabilized and Naruto gave the signal, Sakura released her chakra surrounding the barrier, "Dimensional portal." _

_Finding herself at the bottom of the lake, she took deep breaths observing Naruto as he stabilized the barrier. She could see the exertion on his body as his hands remained together with fingers intertwined to maintain the barrier, "Naruto, I am going to start now."_

_Looking around as she located the exact place where the material was located, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The process was fairly simple, she was going to concentrate all the material in one area and then in one fell swoop send it through the dimensional portal. As she moved the bedrock at the bottom of the lake, the surrounding water was cleared of dust and debris to maintain her line of sight. Refraction was bad enough there was no point in going blind with dust everywhere. _

* * *

><p><em>***OMT***<em>

_3 hours later…_

_Breathing a sigh of relief as soon as she was finished sending the material through the portal to the other dimension, Sakura faced her husband. Watching Naruto's face as sweat dripped from his forehead towards his eyes, she could see the strain that he was under. His eyes were closed in concentration, while his body was taut with tension._

"_Naruto, I am finished," As he opened his eyes, she continued, "I am going to provide us the lift. Just maintain it a little while longer."_

_Touching the barrier, as soon as he acknowledged her statement with a strained nod, she concentrated on the area around the barrier. Since, her ritual she had the power over vectors and this was the first test in the real world. Tapping her foot on the base of the barrier, she changed its direction as it started to lift up. Feeling the water's resistance against the barrier, she exerted more pressure to speed up the process._

"_Naruto, make sure you change the air pressure accordingly," Sakura reminded her husband as the barrier sped up once more. Watching it get close to the surface, she turned towards him once more, "You can drop the pressure-"_

_BOOM!_

_That's when the world went upside down as the barrier shattered when something powerful struck them. _

_[NARUTO!] She shouted through the link as she tried to get her sense of direction. She was hurt, her right side was numb and she could barely see through her eyes. Everything around her was red but that didn't matter to her. Frantically, she moved her left arm, trying to find her husband. _

_Her head hurt, it felt like somebody was pounding on it but she had enough mental faculties left to recognize it as a concussion. Focussing on the task at hand, she noted water going in her mouth. Snapping it shut she tried to find her center to steady herself. _

_Before she could reach out to Naruto through the link once more, she heard his voice, just as anxious, [SAKURA-CHAN!]_

_[I am here Naruto.]_

_[Oh thank god, I was so worried that I lost you.]_

_[I am fine…just a little banged up. What about you?]_

_[I am fine as well…my wounds are already healing.] Naruto tried to assure her putting as much confidence his words as he could. He wasn't lying though; Kurama was working overtime to make sure that he didn't bleed out. It was a good thing that the attack happened while they were underwater. A lot of the impact was absorbed and without anything to stop their momentum abruptly, they weren't hurt past the initial attack._

_Already, feeling better after hearing Naruto's voice, Sakura directed her attention towards her wounds, which were rapidly healing thanks to the microbes and her increased healing faculty. She knew within 2 minutes there won't even be a blemish left on her body. Turning her attention towards her surrounding she expanded her concentration past the initial radius. She wanted to know who attacked them because they were going to die, if that's the last thing she did. _

_With her concentration spread out she was able to pinpoint the location of the second attack, [Naruto another attack is coming.]_

_[I know Sakura-chan,] he replied dodging the attack, [Its Isoku.]_

_[What?] She gasped in surprise. _

'_How the hell had they missed the three tailed beast? Its chakra alone should have alerted them.' She thought as she started to swim towards Naruto when she got the feeling back in her lower body. _

_As she neared him, she could see his wounds healing but his hands were in an awkward position with bones sticking out all over the place. Watching closely she observed a small barrier around his face to filter out water and supply him some much needed oxygen. Feeling a little angry at his uttered 'I am fine' earlier, she abruptly stopped in front of him. Grabbing hold of his shoulders she released chakra through the soles of her feet and broke through the water surface._

_Naruto felt relieved seeing Sakura in front of him. She was fine, the wounds were all healed except for the tattered clothes there was no sign of an injury. He knew she was angry at him but he would take that anger any day compared to the misery he felt the few seconds when he couldn't hear her voice. Feeling her change directions in mid-air, he surveyed as she made a beeline for one of the mountain peaks surrounding the area._

'_She wants to fix my hands first,' he surmised before deciding on the next course of action. _

_[Sakura-chan, I am ok,] he tried to reassure her through the link._

_[Shut up] Sakura growled, [When your bones are sticking out of your hands, you are not ok.]_

_Chuckling slightly at her anger and loving her more for it, he chose to keep quiet and sent her his feelings through the link to calm her down. As soon as they landed, he felt her hand on the back of his head losing any feeling in his arms, [Ooh…that feels weird, Sakura-chan.]_

_[Just bear with it, until I set the bones properly,] she said in concentration as she pushed the bones inside and healed his arms._

_While Sakura was working, Naruto thought about the situation before him, "Kurama? Why didn't we feel his chakra when we were in the lake?"_

"**_The barrier likely prevented it_**_."_

"_But we would have been able to see a hulking bijuu in the lake when we looked from the other plane," he thought, "Unless he was totally submerged in the water."_

"_Your barrier likely was too strong if it was able to block, Isoku's chakra from penetrating. It likely interfered with my ability to sense him as well."_

"_Tch," This was the first time in his life that his seals were the cause of the problem and not the solution, 'I guess it's good to keep in mind for next time.'_

_Though now that he could think for a second this situation really was a Godsend. When they were in the other plane he had made a promise to Kurama to help his brethren and now was the perfect opportunity. But the question was what exactly could he do? How could he keep Isoku safe from Akatsuki's clutches? If they succeeded it would likely put a big dent in their plans. _

_Listening in on Naruto's line of thought, Kurama was happy that he had finally found a connection that was willing to keep his word, 'I guess it's only a given considering the Sage himself helped him to choose a good partner.'_

"**_Naruto, while I admire your desire to keep my brethren safe, you cannot do anything right now_**_," Kurama tried to be supportive._

"_What do you mean?"_

"**_Where will you take him? It's not like you can shrink him and hide him in your home_**_," the nine tails said sarcastically._

"_That's what I am trying to think of…" replid Naruto with frustration in his voice, "Konoha is out because they would make a Jinchuurki first and ask questions later, same with any other village. I could take him to Mount Myoboku but then he might destroy the home of the toads and Ero-sennin will find out about it… So yeah that's out as well."_

_Thinking about it some more Naruto had a solution. He was worried about Kurama's reaction to it though, "Hey Kurama, I have an idea, if you don't like it then just tell me ok."_

"**_You want to make your wife into a Jinchuuriki?_**_" Kurama said with no inflection in his tone._

_Wincing a little at the tone, Naruto took a deep breath to steady him, "Look, it's just a suggestion. You know as well as I do that we won't get a better chance than this to protect him before Akatsuki comes here to go after him."_

"_This way he would not only be protected but Sakura-chan would never do anything against his will," Naruto tried to reason with him._

_Not hearing anything back from Kurama, he was afraid that they might have gone back to square one with their relationship but then he heard Kurama's gruff reply, "**Alright, I think-**"_

_[Sorry, but that won't work,] Sakura interrupted mid conversation as she joined them using the link._

_[What?] Naruto asked bewildered, [why?]_

_He had finally gotten approval from the one being who was most affected by the jutsu and here was Sakura derailing everything. Though he didn't want to jump to any conclusions knowing that she wasn't biased towards being a Jinchuurki, so giving her a chance he waited for her to explain._

_[I told you before that I don't have chakra within my body. That means no chakra pathways and no centre either,] emphasizing the point, she continued, [this is where I differ most from you. That's why I said that when I accepted I became something more than human.]_

_[I see,] he said nodding his head in understanding, [No chakra or chakra pathways within the body means that you can't seal him into you.]_

_[Yup, though I have a better solution if Isoku's willing to listen.]_

_[What?] Naruto asked leaning forward, absently noticing that his arms were fully healed._

_[I have the power to send him to a separate dimension within myself.]_

_[You will send him to the plane we just left?] Naruto asked gaining some of his enthusiasm back. He could feel Kurama's attention on what Sakura was saying through the bond._

_[No, only I can enter that realm. Not even the bijuu will be able to enter it,] She stressed that point, [But I can create a separate dimension within myself to store him.]_

_[**And that's different from a Jinchuurki?**] Kurama asked through the bond in confusion._

_Nodding her head, [Yeah…for all the talk about Jinchuurki being power of human sacrifice, the bond between a bijuu and a human is always formed by chakra, through the chakra centre and the pathways. That's why you and Naruto can share power and consciousness but I don't have that centre.]_

_[If Isoku's agrees then he will reside within my body, in name only. He will literally be alone in a separate dimension. I won't be able to use his chakra at all,] shrugging, she continued, [Essentially, I will be a walking, talking storage scroll and that's it.]_

_[If he agrees then wouldn't it be better for Isoku?] Naruto questioned out loud._

_[**Would Isoku agree though, is the question**,] Kurama pointed out._

_[There is one condition though,] she directed, [Once he goes in he can't rampage or if he wants to get out then he needs to understand that we can't just release him anytime. The seal will be fragile so he would need to trust us.]_

_[Great,] Naruto muttered sarcastically, [That's just what we need, asking a tailed beast to trust us after he tried to kill us.]_

_Smirking, Sakura continued, [We were going to ask him to trust us anyway.]_

_[Yeah, but once the deed was done, the chance of him supposedly getting out of the seal was very low unless you approved.]_

_[It's still better than nothing. If we do this we will really stick a craw in Akatsuki's plans.] Sakura took Naruto's hand in hers to reassure him._

_[**I think it is worth a try**.] Kurama intervened, [**I will talk to him and make him understand. If he refuses than it will be his loss.**]_

_[Well then now that we have approval of our neighbourhood friendly bijuu, I think it's high time the Uzumaki's get to work,] Naruto bantered lightly._

_[**I will show you, a neighbourhood friendly bijuu… you human**,] Kurama growled through the bond._

_[That's the best insult you can come up with?] Naruto taunted._

_Before the fight could escalate further, Sakura intruded, [Now, now children, let not fight, we have work to do.]_

_Walking towards the edge of the cliff of the mountain, she continued, [Okay, here's how we should do it. I will go in and distract Isoku to get his attention,] then looking towards Naruto she went on, [You will make sure to dissipate the chakra so that it doesn't reach the attention of Kiri shinobi in general, while Kurama will talk to Isoku.]_

_Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto said to Kurama, [It's all on you buddy. If you succeed then we keep Isoku out of Akatsuki's hands…so yeah no pressure.]_

_[**Thanks, Naruto,**] Kurama sardonically replied back._

_[Ah you are welcome, you big fuzzball.]_

_Stepping in once more, Sakura just shook her head at Naruto's provocation, [Naruto stop teasing Kurama and Kurama you shouldn't fall for his tricks. We have a job to do. So let's go and keep Naruto's promise to you,] jumping from the cliff she kept going, [And get ourselves a new friend.]_

_[Hell yeah,] Naruto exclaimed._

_As he jumped off the cliff as well to go into the air, he turned towards Sakura, [Are we using the tick?]_

_[No, there is no need. I don't think I would even have the energy to throw up, if Isoku agrees.]_

_Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Naruto flew high above the area to deflect the balls of chakra that he was sure were going to be fired from the three tails. He just hoped that he could stop them from going past him. They couldn't afford to alert the Kiri ninja to their presence, so hoping for a silent operation he got ready as Sakura dived into the water to get Isoku's attention. _

_Happy with his companions' determination and honesty, the nine tailed demon fox, Kurama was glad that he had finally found people who were willing to give him and his brethren a chance. There were casualties on both sides but at least the bonds of friendship were finally being formed. With that mind he got ready for the task at hand, this was the perfect opportunity to help one of his own and he would do everything in his power to achieve that goal._

**_Flashback end_**

Leaving behind the memory what had happened in the past few hours, Naruto shook himself to get rid of sleep creeping towards his consciousness. Taking out a flask of clean water he wet a piece of cloth placing it on Sakura's forehead. The colour of her skin was returning to her previous color, though he still wasn't sure, why her skin turned blue. She was only storing Isoku's chakra in the dimension within her, as there was no chakra bleeding to her system the blue pigmentation was a mystery. Before he could think on it any further, he noticed Sakura slowly open her eyes. Reminding himself, to ask about the blue skin later, Naruto slowly leaned down to kiss her, "Welcome back, Sakura-chan."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Fire Temple

Sitting against a tree, reading his precious book Kakashi was in deep thought. He was the leader of this mission, which so far had turned out to be nothing more than a waiting game. The barrier surrounding the temple was all but impenetrable, he had tried jutsu after jutsu but nothing had taken it down. This was the third day since they arrived in the Fire Capital and he wanted to get out of here.

A part of him was terrified thinking about Naruto and Sakura inside the barrier for three days. If Sakura really was dead then what was Naruto doing? Why was he inside? If they were just training inside, then what kind of training was it that would require such an advance barrier to surround the temple?

Kakashi had no answers as all these questions ran through his mind. With the night falling fast the area surrounding the fire temple fell into peaceful silence. It was serene away from the hustle and bustle of the busy Fire Country capital.

Seeing Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji getting up to take over their shifts for the night, he smiled at the lazy team. It had been the same thing every day, though there really was not much to keep an eye on. As long as the barrier was up there was no going in and out of the temple so their duty was relegated to keeping an eye out for Naruto and Sakura.

He had debriefed everyone regarding the situation as they left Konoha and he could see the tension in the faces of Team 10. It wasn't easy to face the fact that your friend might have died and there was nothing you could do. Of course, at this point it was all conjectured based on the disappearance of Sakura's name from the summoning scroll. But it was a very big deal considering there were not many people in the world who get the right to summon the infamous slugs. And a loss of someone so young with so much potential was even harder.

As he observed team 10 finish eating their dinner he got up from his position to begin his downtime ritual. Suddenly, a huge fireball appeared rising from the capital. Instantly alert, he looked towards Team 10 to find them ready for his orders. Smiling a little on inside at their professionalism he kept observing the surroundings. As three more explosions rocked the Fire Capital, Kakashi saw the monks at the Fire Temple pouring out of the outhouses looking bewildered.

Lifting his headband he scanned his surroundings with the Sharingan to detect any attackers coming their way. As more and more explosions rocked the capital, it was time for him to work. Looking at the slug sitting on his shoulder he requested, "Katsuyu-san, would you please inform Hokage-sama about explosions at the Fire Capital. They look to be in the general direction of the palace."

"Of course, Kakashi-san, I am delivering the message as we speak," Katsuyu replied back.

Turning on his radio, Kakashi dialled Yamato's frequency, "Yamato? You there?"

Hearing a crackle, he listened, "Senpai, I am trying to get to the Fire Palace. The attack is focussed towards there, though so far I have not encountered any shinobi… over."

Before he could ask anything else, he heard a noise as Kiba jumped from the forest between the capital and the Fire Temple, "Kakashi-sensei, the capital is under attack."

"What about Hinata and Shino?" Kakashi asked.

"They are with Yamato-taicho, going towards the Fire Palace," Kiba said quickly before taking in big gulps of air, "The interrogation didn't yield any results on our part. The samurai that we encountered were all Ronin."

"And the explosions?"

"They were centered on the four corners of the Palace. It's a mess in there…hopefully the Daimyo's guard would be able to protect him long enough."

Interrupting the conversation, Katsuyu intervened, "Kakashi-san, Tsunade-sama is asking you to head towards the Fire Palace and provide back up to the Daimyo's guard in protecting the Daimyo."

Kakashi nodded his head in acknowledgement; he would have done the same. As hard as it was for him to leave his students, the life of the Fire lord was more important for the balance of the ninja world. It was a small measure of relief in his mind that Naruto and Sakura were behind the barrier. Whatever threat they faced would be internal unless the barrier fell during the night, which he sincerely hoped was not the case.

Turning towards the shinobi under him he gave out orders, "Well guys, we have our orders from the Hokage. It's time to execute them."

Getting nods of acknowledgement in return he continued, "Kiba, you will take point. If we find any enemies you give us the heads up."

"Ino you will be in the middle between Shikamaru and Chouji at all times. If we need a medic you need to be prepared."

Turning towards Shikamaru, he pointed towards the headset, "I want you in contact with everyone. If you have to give out an order it will go through me first but if we get separated then you will be in charge."

Accepting his order Shikamaru started setting up his radio, while Kakashi talked to Chouji, "You will be at the back. It's your duty to make sure we are not followed," as Chouji gave his assent, Kakashi talked to everyone at the same time, "Maintain radio contact at all times. If we get separated then Shikamaru would be in charge of overall mission, otherwise you know how well your own team works."

Moving towards the city, Kakashi kept in contact with Yamato the whole time, "You heard the plan? Relay it to your team. We will meet you near the palace."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

As a kid when someone with a sword comes at you with the intent to kill, you are usually scared shitless. As a shinobi when someone approaches you with a sword, you can easily make mincemeat out of them but when someone with a sword was multiplied by a hundred and hell bent on suicidal rampage, you curse the day you were born because fighting doesn't end. At least that's how the scion of Nara clan felt, as he fended off ronin after ronin.

If it wasn't so troublesome to curse at that moment, Nara Shikamaru would have cursed the very heavens for turning one of the easiest missions into a fighting for their life. When the fire capital was attacked out of the blue, they had no clue as to who was attacking the city, even now he did not have enough pieces for a full picture though from what he was able to piece together, these samurai were hired help but they were hired in numbers.

The worst part was that they were given full terrain of the city beforehand because the explosives that went off time after time at the most opportune of moments were too well timed. There was also the fact that the city streets and corners were lined with these samurai and fighting them was like fighting a pack of rats. When one went down, another took its place.

They had been fighting a running battle trying to get to the Fire Daimyo's palace but so far they were stuck inside the city walls. With Kakashi and Yamato separated from the group to stop the missing nins from reaching the palace they were on their own for now.

With Shikamaru, the de facto leader of the group there was nothing else to do except to help the Daimyo's forces as much as they could. As it was the little skirmishes with the ronin surrounding them was not the best course of action. It was clear that someone had planned this out extensively considering the effort it was taking them to reach the palace.

Shikamaru's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Hinata's frantic voice came in through the headset, "Shikamaru-kun, two behind you!"

Expanding his senses, Shikamaru detected two ronin behind him in his blind spots. Without turning around he sent his shadow towards them, "Kagemane no jutsu," as soon as his opponents were trapped, he uttered, "Kage-Kabishibari no jutsu" killing them instantly.

When Shikamaru was finished with kill he saw his best friend Chouji running past him, "Chouji?"

"Get in the middle, Shikamaru…You are the leader right now, we can't afford to lose you," Chouji said through the headset, "I am going to give us some breathing room. Kiba and Hinata are taking care of the ronin in the front."

Turning his attention to the battlefield, Chouji saw ten people that were hiding poorly behind the buildings, 'Most likely waiting for a time to strike like Hyena's.'

Not letting them have any breathing room he put his hand together, "Bubun Baika no jutsu," expanding his arms as he brought them down on the ten ronin. Turning left, he destroyed a few more houses to clear the hiding spots before moving to help Shino on his right.

"Shino duck," he shouted as his hands pummeled the vagrant samurai. Once the surrounding area was cleared, he took a deep breath as his hands returned to normal size. Looking towards Kiba and Hinata he saw that they were finished as well.

As he was walking towards the others Chouji felt something on the edge of his senses but he couldn't see anything with a cursory glance. Coming to a standstill he pushed his chakra out towards his surroundings, catching something on his right near the group he knew there was no time to warn them.

Gathering chakra in his legs he sped up covering the distance between himself and his friends within a second. Looking at the number of exploding tags placed on the buildings around them, he took out his own exploding tags, sending them towards the ronin.

Then with a single action he brought his hands together, "Baika no jutsu," expanding himself to tower over the rest of the group providing them with cover.

When the explosion rocked the place, he felt something striking him in the stomach but he held fast making sure the explosion didn't hurt anyone else. As the heat died down, Chouji released the technique as he felt something sticking out of his stomach. Spewing blood from his mouth he tried to think sit up as he fell on his back.

Before everything went dark, he heard Shikamaru shouting his name.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

'No no no,' Shikamaru kept shouting in his head. One minute they were grouping together to catch some breath, next Chouji was standing in front of them with his expanded body jutsu protecting them from the explosions.

Looking at his friends' bloodied form; he called out, "Chouji!" in despair. With tears streaming down his face he reached him before anyone else.

"Chouji…Chouji, open your eyes. You have to stay alive," looking at his friend's body he could see that there was a lot of internal injuries though the piece of debris protruding from his stomach looked to be the most dangerous. He was losing a lot of blood, "Chouji, can you hear me?" He shouted trying to stem the blood flow.

"You can't die here…you have to live. What would Asuma say?" Before he could say anything else, he heard Ino's shout. Her voice seemed so far away even though he could see her right in front of him.

Ino saw Shikamaru clinging on to Chouji trying to stop the blood flow but he wasn't helping the situation right now. Observing the piece lodged in Chouji's stomach, she saw a piece of bone sticking out. Hoping it was from the ronin surrounding them, she set about working on Chouji. Luckily, everyone else was safe so she could fully concentrate on her teammate but first she had to get Shikamaru to back off a little.

"Shikamaru, you need to let go. I need to look at Chouji," not getting any reaction from him, she grabbed his arms and tried to pry them away from Chouji's body without success. Getting frustrated she thought about slapping to snap him out of it but there was a chance that he would pull his hands back too quickly and further hurt Chouji.

Turning around she saw Hinata looking at the scene with shock clearly written on her face. She wanted to shout and cry as well but Tsunade had stressed during the education that the time in the beginning was very important. As it was, she was wasting precious seconds. Running towards Hinata she shook her violently, "Hinata, snap out of it."

Seeing recognition in her eyes she heard Hinata's, "Chouji-kun?" with tears in her eyes.

"It looks bad but I don't know how bad it really is. I need you to move Shikamaru so that I can work."

Getting a nod of acknowledgement, she turned towards her teammates. Placing her hand on Chouji's heart to make sure the blood flow was steady, she saw Hinata getting Shikamaru to loosen his grip on Chouji. Seeing her chance, she quickly grabbed Shikamaru's hands and pushed him back to survey the wound surrounding her injured teammate.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

For Shikamaru, this mission was turning out to be an eye opener. Never before had he taken so many lives but there was no other choice. As it was Chouji was out of commission with a piece of debris from the explosion lodged in his stomach. When he had seen Chouji lying on the ground in a pool of blood he frozen and apparently Hinata had to get him to back off so that Ino could work on Chouji.

When he had come to his senses he had observed that Kiba was demolishing through the ronin with Akamaru , while Shino was on the opposite side of Kiba keeping the rest of the people at bay with the help of his Kikaichu.

Interrupting his train of thought, Shino called out to Shikamaru from the far right of the street, "Shikarmaru, we need to leave this area before we are surrounded."

Grimacing at Shino's advice, Shikamaru replied, "Negative Shino. Chouji is not stable enough to move right now."

Turning back towards his teammate, he asked, "Ino? How long with it take before we can move?"

Looking at Shikamaru from the corner of his eye, "It will take time Shikamaru. I can't move him yet. The chance of him bleeding out is still high."

"Troublesome," forming a tight fist with his right hand, he took a few deep breaths to calm him down. Kakashi and Yamato were separated from the group, because of missing nin that were coming towards the palace. For them to not return yet meant the people they were fighting were either a lot stronger than previously imagined or were too numerous to kill in one go.

Not seeing any other choice but to defend the place, Shikamaru turned towards the Hyuuga princess, "Hinata, tell me the positions of everyone surrounding our immediate vicinity."

Acknowledging his orders, she looked around, "There are 20 samurai straight from us. On the left there are 14 samurai and 6 archers together. To the right, there seem to be 10 samurai. However, these are only the first embankments, there are reinforcements behind them."

'Of course, there are reinforcements,' Shikamaru thought sarcastically, 'We are standing almost at the entrance of the palace, and it is more than likely that they are converging for a front attack."

It was just unlucky on their part that Chouji got caught in the explosion otherwise they would never have been in this predicament, cursing his luck, he radioed Kiba who was in the front with Akamaru protecting them, "Kiba there are twenty ronin in front of you. According to Hinata they are all ronin, so take them out before they become a nuisance."

"Shino, you have ten on your side. Be careful of the archers and make sure you kill them all. We can't move yet, so we need some breathing room. Create one."

Turning towards Hinata, he ordered, "You will provide eyes from the back for each of us. If there is an opponent left, tell us quickly. I am going to the left."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Kiba was glad when Shikamaru gave the order to kill the ronin in front of the group. As it was he was cursing himself for getting so caught up in the moment that he forgot about the surrounding area. His team was the tracking team of the group and none of them were able to pinpoint a few rogue samurai. Because of their failure, Chouji was lying injured fighting for his life. He seriously hoped that Ino could save him since there was nothing he could do to help Chouji.

Without Chouji, Akamaru and he were the power hitters so it was up to them to make sure, no further harm came to the group. And that was easy as long as they removed the obstacles. Turning towards his partner he asked, "You ready, Akamaru?"

Getting a growl back in return, he knew that everything was set so facing the enemy he brought his hands together, "Then let's kill them, Jujin Bunshin."

As soon as Akamaru turned into his clone, they attacked, "Gatsuga." Bringing down the two drills on the ronin they went about sparing no one. Over and over they went through the same formation to rip apart the hired samurai. It was a bloodbath that only Inuzuka's were capable of. As they stopped to observe their surroundings, Kiba signalled Akamaru to finish the two ronin hiding behind the building on the far end.

With only four ronin left, Kiba gathered his chakra and quickly appeared behind the rogue samurai on the right, with Akamaru going left. Not giving him a chance to retaliate he buried his kunai at the back of his opponents neck avoiding the sword of the other ronin. Using the dead samurai in his hand as a cover he stopped the second swing of the other swordsman before gouging his eyes out with sharpened fingernails. As the ronin cried out in pain, he quickly finished him off with a well-placed kunai right between his eyes.

Looking at Akamaru he saw they were done clearing the area but before he could go back, Hinata's voice came through the headset, "Kiba-kun, take 4 steps back."

As he absentmindedly followed Hinata's instructions, while trying to find the cause of concern, he noted that Hinata was looking after Akamaru as well. Locating the 3 archers at the top of the buildings as he got ready to jump and kill them before they could do some damage, he heard Shikamaru's voice through the headset, "Hinata go and take care of the archers, I am done."

Right after Kiba heard Shikamaru's orders for him, "Kiba, I want you and Akamaru to provide cover for Hinata. Drill into the ground and raise a dust storm."

As long as he was able to protect Hinata in some way, he didn't mind, "Got it, Shikamaru." Since, Hinata was already going towards the archers; he didn't waste any time, "Akamaru, Gatsuga into the ground. Make sure there is enough debris that no one can see us."

While raising a storm of dust, Kiba had to chuckle as this was probably Akamaru's favorite order. He had always liked playing in dirt and now he was being a professional about doing it. With that thought in mind, Kiba increased his speed to make sure the enemy was blind to his teammate's progress.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

"I am done," Hearing Hinata's voice over the radio Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. For now at least the general area for cleared. They would get some time to regroup and think about the next plan. It will also give him time to check up on Chouji and if possible maybe get out of this place.

As he gathered his thoughts about him, he noticed the three members of Team 8 coming together and joining them. He was glad that they were here with his team; they were all from the same year group so there was no politics involved. There was no need for show here; everyone had known each other since they were kids, the level of familiarity played to their strengths. Breaking his reverie, Shikamaru noted the sudden tenseness that appeared on the faces of Team 8, "What is it?"

"There are 5 people approaching from the general vicinity of the palace," Hinata replied trying to gather more information about the individuals, "There are 4 people with swords while one is unarmed."

"Chakra levels?" Shino questioned as he released insects from his sleeves to find out more about their assailants.

"Minimum," she answered as she saw that there was very little threat. However, it was always better to cover their bases.

While Hinata was providing the group with the necessary information, they were already moving to put themselves between them and Ino. If these were rogue samurai and they were coming from the palace then the Fire Daimyo might have already fallen. Shikamaru seriously hoped that was not the case, otherwise the fourth world war could be sparked at any moment. They still didn't have any more information regarding the purpose of the attack, though it was clear to him that someone high up had to be the perpetrator behind it or at least one of the people who had waged the attack against the Fire lord.

As they took up positions around Ino and Chouji, Shikamaru felt Kiba and Akamaru flex their chakra getting ready. Suddenly, he heard Hinata gasp, "Hinata?"

"It's the Daimyo and Madam Shinji," Hinata relayed what she was seeing.

"What?" Kiba exclaimed in astonishment.

"For the Fire lord to leave the palace, means that the situation is direr than we thought," Shino supplied with some apprehension though it was very hard to see in his facial expressions.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru wanted to just lie down and go to sleep. First Chouji was injured, fighting for his life and now they were going to be saddled with the safety of the Daimyo of the fire country. Without Kakashi and Yamato their group was going to be in an even greater danger considering the people who attacked the capital were going to be searching for its head.

This meant they would have to defend five extra people without any help. He tried to radio Kakashi or Yamato but all he heard was static, there was no reply, which was worrisome by itself. The arrival of the group of five brought him out of his thoughts. He could see the fear on the faces of the Fire lord and lady. Shikamaru really wanted to know the whereabouts of the army of the Fire lord, though at the moment he had a duty to perform. So bowing deeply as the rest of the group, except for Ino and Chouji, he greeted the leader of his country, "Daimyo-sama."

As the head of the Fire country was running away from his home, he couldn't help but lament the loss of all the comforts that they were leaving behind. For now though, there was nothing that he could do, as apparently his personal guard were unable to stop the attack.

'Maybe disbanding the guardian ninja was not such a good idea after all,' He thought as he was running in the streets of his country like some common hoodlum. When his soldiers abruptly stopped and he saw the ninja in front of him, for a second he thought that the enemy had finally caught up with them but recognizing the Konoha headband gave him some solace, "Rise, ninja-san."

Looking at the person who had spoken he asked, "Are you the leader of this group?"

Shikamaru answered keeping his face as relaxed as he could though his whole body was starting to tense as he could feel the presence of others surrounding them. If Team 8's posture's were anything to go by then his hunch was correct, "For now sir, my name is Nara Shikamaru. Hatake Kakashi is the actual leader of the group but he along with one more senior ninja is making sure that no ninja are able to reach the palace."

"Indeed?"

"Sir, if I maybe so bold," Shikamaru tried to keep his voice as polite as he could, "Why did you leave the Palace?"

"Our home was invaded, ninja-san," The Fire Daimyo answered with what he hoped was a calm voice.

"We even had to leave behind poor, Tora-chan," Madam Shinji intervened, shedding a few tears.

Shikamaru could care less about the cat but the news about the sacking of the Fire Palace was worse than he could have imagined. If the word spread out that the Fire lord was driven out of his home in one night it would be a disaster. The political instability if the current Daimyo were killed would lead to another occurrence of the Ninja wars, he was sure of it. And as much posturing, the leader of his country was doing it was coming out as nothing more than a pathetic attempt to hide his fears. The guards with the Daimyo seemed useless, if they hadn't even made sure that they were not being followed and now this troublesome situation had landed right in his lap.

"Shikamaru-kun, we are surrounded on all sides," Hinata said quietly.

Acknowledging Hinata's information, Shikamaru took a deep breath, "Sir, may I ask where your army is?"

"It seems someone has betrayed my trust, Shikamaru-kun, we were unable to contact our generals in time," the Daimyo replied.

Shikamaru didn't say anything for a minute because he was trying to control his breathing. He wanted to throttle the man in front of him but he wasn't sure if he could get away with it. Not being able to contact your general meant that they were not near you when the attack happened. What about the aides? Why not send them and pass information?

Of course, if the general himself betrayed the Daimyo then there should have been contingencies in place for others to step in but like the case with ninja guardians, he was pretty sure the leader of his country would have made a stupid decision to make the process difficult. The fire Daimyo was supposed to have a standing army at any given time but no soldier has been deployed? How was that possible? There was some miscommunication somewhere that someone was taking advantage of.

"Sir, I would like for you to remain calm with the next information that I am going to tell you," Shikamaru tried to show as much confidence as he could muster and kept going without waiting for an answer, "We are surrounded by ronin as we speak," Seeing the fear on his leaders face, he didn't let himself stop, "We have an injured teammate, while my other teammate is healing him. I would like for you and your guards to stand behind her, while we will make sure that no harm comes to you."

"Of course, Shikamaru-kun," The Daimyo replied moving towards the kunoichi healing the injured shinobi.

As the Fire Daimyo moved away, Shikamaru faced the group, "How many?"

"20 in total but there are more coming here," she replied scanning the area.

"Which direction is the reinforcement coming from?" Kiba asked flexing his chakra once more.

Shikamaru noted that he was getting feral but the control to prevent giving into bloodlust was still there. It seemed the guards and the Daimyo were followed as the reinforcements were coming from the direction of the palace, which meant somebody was communicating the location of the Daimyo. Communication implied semblance of order equaling a smart enemy who made the head of the country run away from his home.

There was no need for an elaborate plan. They didn't have the time for it or the man power. This pending attack would take a lot out of them, which would only get worse if the enemies' numbers kept increasing, "Kiba, you and Akamaru will take frontal assault. Take them down hard and fast while the three of us will provide cover. Your main job is to give us as much breathing room as you can before the next assault."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

As he readied himself for the onslaught, Kiba couldn't help but give into his feral side a little. There was no need to hold back, he needed to finish this as quickly as he could before the next wave hit. Even though there was a possibility of getting overwhelmed, he wasn't going to let anyone die if he could help it. Inuzuka's were known for being wild and more in tune with their animal, even though they usually didn't show it in their day to day behaviours.

Now he had a chance to let loose without worrying about the consequences so much. With the Fire Daimyo under their protection it was time to let loose without worry about the damages. Patting Akamaru on the head, he sat down on his haunches so that he was eye level with his partner, "You ready?"

Getting a bark back in response he continued, "You don't have to hold back this time. Finish it quickly okay?"

Hearing the feral growl, he stood up and ran towards the enemy forming handseals, "Gatsuga."

Getting right in the middle of the enemy back, he saw the scared faces of the ronin as they saw the mutilated bodies. Not letting them find any ground he finished forming seals for another technique, "Beast transformation: Wolf's Claw," as his nails lengthened.

"Come on you bastards, it's time for some fun," he growled slashing an attacking ronin in the neck. Watching the samurai choke on his own blood, he twisted to the side to dodge a sword swipe, slashing at the persons face.

As the enemy grouped together, he saw Akamaru tearing through the swordsmen with his own Gatsuga. With limbs flying left and right he gave into his bloodlust and howled to the heavens before getting back into the fight killing the enemies.

Skidding to a stop with his hands and knees on the ground, he took a deep breath to smell any additional ronin. Noticing one standing still watching his every movement, he turned his head to observe him. His right hand was on the handle of the blade with his left holding the scabbard. Looking into his enemies eyes, he knew he was serious; there was something about him that had his danger sense tingling.

Before he could contemplate any further he saw Akamaru run past him to clash with the ronin. But before he could reach him, the ronin unleashed his blade as an arc of chakra cut deeply into Akamaru's front legs making him crash into ground.

Watching his best friend go down from the cut, made him see red; he wanted this person blood on his hands. Unleashing a deep growl he lunged at him intent on severing the ronin's head from the rest of his body. Swiping at his eyes, the opponent dodged his first attack; he ducked to let the blade pass over his head extending his arms to slash the legs.

As the ronin jumped in the air to avoid his strike, Kiba saw his chance to form a Gatsuga at close range, intent on ripping apart his opponent, "You are finished."

Going into the first rotation he was abruptly stopped as the ronin's scabbard smashed on his head. Flying back from the force of the impact, Kiba shook his head absently noting the ronin approaching him at faster speeds than he thought his opponent was capable of reaching. Finding the ronin on top of him with his sword arm pulled back and the blade poised to pierce his heart, he noted in shock as Akamaru suddenly jumped in front of him as blood splattered everywhere.

"AKAMARU!"

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Whirlpool Country…

Watching her face closely as she opened her eyes, Naruto noticed her confusion fade away as she recognized the location. Seeing her licking her lips from lack of moisture, he took a bottle of water and brought it close to her lips, "Here, drink this."

When she stopped drinking water, he sealed it inside a scroll and gently lifted her head to make her sit up, "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh," Sakura grimaced, "Like shishou's punching bag."

Chuckling slightly at her analogy, he held her closer to him, "At least your coloring is going down."

"Coloring?"

Taking her hands in his he showed her the blue color that was slowly disappearing, "It's gone down quite a bit."

Observing the pigmentation of her skin, she saw as it was absorbed within her, "Oh this," leaning into Naruto's chest she went on, "It's just bacteria and other stuff protecting me from the harmful effects of the chakra."

"Really?"

"Yeah, anytime I come into contact with something they make sure that my internal homeostasis is maintained at all times."

"Is that why you healed so fast when Isoku attacked under the lake?"

"Yeah, it's because of them that I can take a few more hits and survive. Like Isoku's chakra," seeing his confusion she elaborated, "Usually bijuu's chakra is harmful to humans but I can probably survive it better than others."

"Because the microbes are assimilating it into your body as we speak?"

"Yeah"

"That's good to know," Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, "I was scared that you might have been poisoned being in such close proximity of a bijuu."

"No, I feel fine. Just tired."

"Of course, you are Sakura-chan. You just hid a bijuu in your body. It would have been a miracle if you weren't tired."

Sitting quietly for a few minutes they just sat huddled together enjoying each other's company. To avoid the oncoming drowsiness Naruto shook his head, "Do you want to rest here tonight?"

"No, let's go back to the capital. We don't know how much time has passed and we do need to go back to Konoha."

Nodding his head in agreement, he asked, "Are you up for it now? Or do you want to rest a little?"

"No, I am good. I don't have anything wrong with me, other than running a little low on chakra."

"When we get to the capital, we will eat something before going to bed," Naruto answered getting up, to disassemble their tent.

Once, he was done packing all the supplies in the scrolls, they both went towards the place where the ritual took place. Looking at the seals still in place, he saw Sakura perform hand seals before the seals liquefied and returning to the jar in her hand. With the ink in place they took one last quick look around the desolate place to make sure everything was in place.

Finding everything similar to what they found when they arrived, Naruto intoned, "Seal Release: Nullify Presence," to make sure there was no sign of their presence left behind. The technique was made to erase everything from skin cells, hair follicles and chakra concentration.

Satisfied that nobody would be able to point anything towards them, he took Sakura's hand and disappeared from the island. Arriving at the main room of the temple, they saw Chiruku sitting in meditation at the same place where they last left him. Walking towards him Sakura placed her hands on his head, "Seal release: stasis discharge," as the barrier around Chiruku and the temple fell at the same time.

Placing him on the floor, Naruto made him lie flat on the ground as Sakura checked him for any injuries. As she went about her task Naruto noted that the temple looked as serene as ever before the quiet was broken as the other monks arrived within the temple proper.

Seeing their panicked expressions at Chiruku lying on the ground, Naruto raised his hands in a pacifying motion, "He is fine."

Before he could say anymore, Sakura got up from her task, "Naruto is right. Chiruku-san is just fine. He is resting because of chakra exhaustion."

Looking at the relieved countenance on the monks' faces she went on, "Just make sure that he rests for tonight and after a full meal tomorrow, he will feel good as knew."

"Thank you, Sakura-san," One of the senior monks stepped forward bowing to Sakura.

He knew that she was the student of the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. Considering Chiruku-san held her in high regard, the monk trusted her words. Looking at the other disciples he ordered them to make sure the head monk was placed in his bed.

Turning back to the pair of ninja he listened as she asked to give her gratitude to Chiruku-san from the pair of them as he had apparently helped them a lot. Happy that the pair of them was satisfied with their training spread a feeling of warmth through him. He knew that they both must have made an impression on the former ninja guardian for him to trust them with his technique, so he felt duty bound to at least prepare them for the situation occurring in the capital.

"I will gladly convey your thanks, Sakura-san and we would be more than happy to provide you with a roof tonight," the senior monk replied to the pair.

Bowing to the senior monk in front of her, Sakura went on, "Thank you for your kind offer. We are going to leave early tomorrow morning and we just wanted to say our goodbye to the Fire lord tonight."

"That might not be such a good idea, right now," he said hesitantly.

"Why?" Naruto asked noting the reluctance on the monk's face.

"It seems the fire capital is under attack right now," the monk replied with a slight pause in his breath.

"What?" Sakura exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah…a few hours ago, there were explosions at the capital but we haven't received word whether the attack was successful or not."

Naruto just looked at Sakura unable to say anything. The only thing going through his mind at the moment was whether it was their fault. It was very hard to say at the moment because he didn't have any other information regarding the attack. Hopefully, the Fire lord's army would be able to protect the citizens long enough for them to stop the attack.

"Sakura-chan, we need to go and see for ourselves," Naruto said distractedly.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded then facing the monk once more she bowed politely, "Thank you sir but we need to leave for the Fire capital immediately."

Quickly leaving the Fire Temple they stood on the outside walls to stare at the columns of smoke rising from the centre of the capital. From the looks of it there seem to be multiple explosions throughout the city. From their point of view the situation didn't look good; he could only hope that it was much better on the inside.

If the Fire Lord fell, it would create too much confusion and the appointment of a new Daimyo would lead to more chaos. With the threat of Akatsuki looming above them, they both knew the death of the head of the Fire country would derail their plans.

[Sakura-chan? Could it be our fault?] He asked through the link.

Sakura didn't reply for a while trying to think of something that they had done that could lead to an attack on the capital.

[I don't know,] she said in a daze, absentmindedly following Naruto's lead to use the link rather than talk out load, while looking at the smoke stacks, [I can't think of anything that would lead to this.]

Shaking her head in despair, she continued, [All I have done till now has been to make sure the Fire lord was aware of our identities and of our teachers and that's it.]

And that was the gist of it. There literally was nothing else that she had done in the capital. She had only stayed here a couple of times when she was a Chuunin and then when she became a Jounin. Short of meeting the Fire lord, his staff and family along with Chiriku-san, she hadn't conversed with anyone else. Snapping out the initial shock of seeing the city under attack, they both left the Fire Temple in a hurry.

[Naruto, when we get near the city you go towards the Palace and see if the Fire Lord needs help.]

Nodding at her suggestion, he asked through the link, [And you?]

[I will go in the opposite direction. If there are soldiers attacking the place than somebody had to make plans and I intend to find out who made them and whether it was because of my meddling,] she explained as they separated to go about their respective tasks.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Naruto could only look around in amazement as he saw the damaged palace of the fire lord. He could see the attackers gathered throughout the area, though they were not able to totally sack the place as the guards were still defending it. It looked like the last stand of the few people left alive, though they must have done something right because the attackers were being extremely cautious. They were huddled together into groups unable to get any ground.

Before reaching the castle he had looked around trying to find information regarding the attack. One thing was common throughout; whosoever had planned the assault was good. The attackers knew the general layout of the area beforehand but they were not old the reason behind the attack. All they were knew was if they were successful in bringing down the Daimyo then they would find themselves as part of the army of the land of fire. Apparently, the new Daimyo would hire them and give them positions through the military structure.

He knew that giving the ronin a chance to have a new lord to serve would help a lot of them but they were attacking the leader of his country. Even though, he had plans regarding the Fire lord, it was going to be on their terms and when they wanted it. Another important aspect was that they weren't sure whether the Daimyo needed to be killed off or just controlled, so they were going to gather more information before planning something. Now looking at the situation it looked like the head of the Fire country was backed in a corner with a few of his guards.

Gathering his chakra, Naruto cloaked himself further to hide from the enemies in case there was a missing nin in the group. Silently flying in the air he let his gaze travel through the general area rying to find civilian life. When he found nothing in the immediate vicinity of the palace, he thought, 'Well, this makes my job a bit easier.'

Appearing on top of the building where the guards were assembled, he condensed his chakra taking a deep breath. Looking around one last time he pushed his hands away from his body spreading them out, "Fire Release: Detonation Wave," as a shockwave of fire travelled away from him.

Watching the shockwave demolishing everything, he saw ronin burning up as they flew through the air. Once the buildings around the palace were destroyed; the area was flattened with no room to hide behind anything to survive the attack. Waiting a few moments he confirmed that except for the soldiers of the Daimyo's guard no one was left alive. Taking a deep breath to steady himself he jumped down towards the guards just in time to see their wide eyed expressions.

He heard one of the guards asking him a question, "Who are you?"

He didn't show anything on his face or through his body language but he really felt that last attack. Before the attack he was running low on chakra but now he was literally going on fumes. Fighting to keep down the Bijuu dama attacks from Isoku, so that the shinobi from Kiri were not alerted to their presence had really taken it out of him and now he was paying the price for it. It was still tolerable as long as he didn't meet someone who was overly strong, otherwise he would have no other choice than to use Kurama's chakra, which would put his body in danger of passing out from chakra poisoning or exhaustion, whichever came first.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself he replied back, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I am a shinobi of Konoha."

Seeing the look of relief on the guard's face he asked, "Is the Fire lord, alright?"

"We don't know," he answered.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Naruto asked glaring at the guards.

Bristling under the tone of Naruto's voice, the guard was ready to retort, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him, "Sir, you might not want to get on his bad side."

Glaring at his subordinate for the audacity of putting his hands on his superior, he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Shuffling his feet in fear the guard answered with as much courage as he could muster, "Sir, he is the Fire lord's guest in the capital, student of Jiraiya of the sannin."

Hearing Jiraiya's name snapped the head guard out of his funk, "Jiraiya-sama?"

"Yes, sir."

He had heard of Jiraiya of the Sannin, who hadn't? He was the infamous pervert of the Fire Country but there was no questioning his strength. Everyone knew that he was one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha right now, if not the strongest. There was also the fact that the Fire Lord himself had called for this shinobi, if he was his guest, so swallowing his pride he answered, "We don't know where the Fire Lord is because we sent him away as things weren't looking good on our end."

"Shit," he cursed, "How many guards were with him?"

"Three."

Taking a deep breath to keep him from exploding at the general stupidity of the guards he asked, "When? And which direction did he go to?"

"Just half an hour ago and he left in that direction away from the palace," The guard replied pointing towards the pathway going away from the palace.

"What happened to the army? Why didn't they stop the attack?"

"We don't know, Uzumaki-san. We have tried to contact the generals but there has been no reply."

'Shit, shit and shit,' Naruto raged within the confines of his mind. Not able to contact the generals meant that someone from the inside was part of the attack and if they knew the routes that messengers usually took, no messages would be passed around because he was pretty sure radio jammers were in full effect.

Of course that wasn't the worse thing right now considering the Head of the Fire country was out of the safety of his palace running in the streets. If that wasn't an easy target for the ronin, he didn't know what else would suffice. With the Daimyo only having three guards for security the chance of him being alive were slim to none and they were getting smaller with each passing minute.

Contacting Sakura he relayed the information through their link, [Did you find anything about the attack, Sakura-chan?]

[No, nothing substantive yet, though someone from inside the Fire administration is definitely part of the attack. The ronin are not that skilled but they are organized.]

[I know I just found out that they haven't been able to contact the army.]

[Yeah, I understand. I will keep looking, there has to be a clue around here somewhere,] Sakura replied, [you go ahead and look for the Daimyo. Hopefully, he is still alive.]

[Yeah, I will do that,] stopping the conversation through the link Naruto turned back to the guard, "I am going to look for the Daimyo. In the meantime, go through the palace and take out anyone left behind."

With a nod of his head, the leader of the guards agreed, "But are you sure you don't need any help?"

Shaking his head in the negative, he turned to leave, "I will be much faster alone than with anyone else."

"Don't send anyone else after the army. Someone from the inside is probably working for the enemy and they likely know the areas that the messengers use," getting a nod of agreement he went on, "Just wait for me to come back with the Fire lord. My partner is finding information about the enemy as we speak."

Not waiting for the reply, he quickly left in the direction taken by the leader of his country looking around for any clues that would indicate a sign of struggle. It was quite a bit difficult considering there was rubble everywhere along with dead bodies of the citizens of the capital. Spreading his senses to get a lock onto the noble's location he recoiled hearing the howl of a wolf.

Eyes wide, he ran towards the voice, "Inuzuka?" whispering to himself.

He knew that howl, it was infinitely familiar to anyone from Konoha who had worked with the clan. It was a sign of bloodlust and marking of territory if the ninja was defending his place. Speeding up he took to the rooftops once more going towards the sound.

When he reached the place, he saw Akamaru was hurt and Kiba was attacking a lone swordsman. Suddenly the situation turned as Kiba was sent flying and the ronin looked ready to pierce his heart. Seeing Akamaru jump in front of his partner, Naruto leapt into the fray.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Hearing Kiba's pained shout, Shikamaru quickly turned around, stretching his shadow towards the assailant even before he got his bearing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hinata running towards the pair trying to get to them before the sword pierced Akamaru. In an instant Shikamaru saw Naruto appear in front of Akamaru, as the blade drew blood.

Naruto had arrived just in time to grab onto the blade with his bare hand deflecting it to the left side. Sensing danger the ronin jumped back, the pulled blade spilling Naruto's blood on the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief Shikamaru pulled up beside Naruto as he saw him staring hard at the ronin.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru's voice snapped him out of his trance as he was taking account of the number of enemy surrounding them with the reinforcements coming in.

Turning towards the Nara scion, he smiled, "Hey Shika," before he rotated his waist to face the ninken.

"Akamaru, are you alright?" He asked petting on top of his head.

Getting a bark back in return he saw Akamaru whine in concern at his injured hand, "This? It's nothing. I am fine."

Then getting down to Akamaru's eye level he continued, "You rest now ok? I will take care of things," Looking towards Kiba he saw him sitting still in shock at the close call.

Walking towards him Naruto knelt in front of the Inuzuka, "Kiba? It's alright," Grabbing his shoulders, Naruto shook him a little "Akamaru is just fine."

When Akamaru walked to his partner and licked his face, Naruto got up as Kiba responded to his ministrations. Before he could walk away any further, Kiba's voice stopped him, "Naruto…Thank you," As he bowed his head in appreciation.

"Kiba, there is no need for it. Akamaru is a friend," He smiled slightly looking at the Inuzuka pair, "I wouldn't be able to call myself a future Hokage if I can't even protect my precious people."

Hearing Hinata stuttering his name as she slowly walked towards her teammate Naruto tilted his head in greeting, "Hey Hinata…It's good to see that you are well."

Seeing her looking at his injured hand, he waved off her concern, "Its fine…It's healing already."

Unexpectedly, he heard someone call out his voice, as he saw the head of the Fire country moving towards him with his wife and the three guards, "Uzumaki-kun, it's good to see you."

Bowing his head in deference, "I am happy to hear you say that sir," he said as he straightened, "I am very glad that both you and Madam Shinji are alright."

"Yes, these fine ninja were protecting us, very admirably," The Fire Daimyo said as he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Naruto. Now that the student of the toad sage was here, his chances of surviving were very high.

"Yes, they were. But I am glad to see you Naruto-kun," Madam Shinji said as she moved forward trying to look around Naruto, "Where is Sakura-kun?"

"She is conducting her investigation, trying to find out information regarding the attack," He replied as he turned around to face the ronin who stood ready to attack, "For now though, if you will please excuse me, I have a few ronin to take out."

"Oh…of course," she replied suddenly remembering the precarious position they were in.

Genuflecting to the nobility, Naruto stepped back, turning to Shikamaru, "Shika, you guys protect the Fire lord, while I will take care of the attackers."

"Naruto, we can help," Shikamaru looked at his friend's injured hand.

Smiling in gratification at his concern, he shook his head, "I am fine. This is nothing;" walking away from them he ordered, "Form a circle around the Fire lord, just in case I miss someone."

Shikamaru watched as Naruto strode a little ways from the group, stopping in the middle of the place. For a moment everything was quiet as the ronin gathered together intent on marching through Naruto before all hell broke loose.

At least that's what it felt like to him as Naruto unleashed his killing intent. It felt dark and dangerous as if he was asking for blood. All of his senses were going into overdrive as his body's fight or flight response kicked in. He had to forcefully gather himself in order to not run away.

Watching the rest of his team he could see that they weren't faring any better if the wide eyed stare from Hinata, Akamaru and Kiba was anything to go by. He couldn't tell anything from Shino's facial expression but the tension in his body and the loud buzzing of the insects around him gave away his condition.

"Troublesome blonde," He had of course heard of the technique, where a person could spread his killing intent in the air to weaken the hearts of the enemy but it usually worked best when it was concentrated. If the person was strong enough they could cause the enemy to commit suicide just by intent alone but reading or hearing about it was very different than experiencing it.

He could see why the Hokage had given the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin to him, if the condition of the ronin was any indication. Belatedly, he realized that the Fire Daimyo, Lady Shinji and the three guards were on the ground barely able to breathe through Naruto's technique. He could see shock written on their faces, while the technique was not even meant for them. Whatever doubts he had at the party about Naruto's prowess suddenly went away as he thanked the stars that he was on their side.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Facing the enemy Naruto unleashed his killing intent though there was no outward change on him, 'Man Orochimaru was good for something.'

The technique was similar in effect to the killing intent his team had faced during the Forest of Death. In his case he circulated Kurama's chakra throughout his body before charging the air with his chakra as he made it a medium for Kurama's bloodlust to be unleashed. For the more experienced shinobi they would recognize the intent from the night of the Kyuubi attack but the ronin in front of him froze as he expected.

Seeing that even the skilled ronin was frozen in fear of the bloodlust he increased it by merging his intent together with Kurama's. Taking out a piece of paper from his haori, he channelled chakra through it as seals started appearing from one end to the other. Once finished, the paper became ramrod straight before he threw it at the ronin.

As the paper stuck to his forehead, Naruto's uttered, "Release," was drowned out in the huge explosion that followed.

It was a special seal that he had designed, with a directional component to the explosive power and shockwave. Even though he was standing near the enemy not a single hair was ruffled from the explosion since the shockwave never reached him. Except for the heat and the noise there was no drawback from the technique.

With the problem taken care of, he stopped channelling the chakra in the air and the bloodlust vanished. Turning around he walked towards Shikamaru as he saw him trying to gather his wits, "You okay?"

"Ye…Yeah," Shikamaru answered with a stutter as he took a deep breath to calm his fast beating heart.

"Sorry about that," Naruto apologized, "There were too many of them that concentrated intent wouldn't have worked."

Shaking his head to release the sluggishness out of him, "No…I know what the technique is about, never faced it with such intensity before."

"I see," Naruto grinned slightly, "So how come you guys are all here?"

Seeing the fox-like smile at their discomfort, Shikamaru could only shake his head in exasperation, "You are so troublesome, Naruto."

Seeing him chuckle he continued, "We came here because of you. Considering you are in a good mood I think it's safe to say that Sakura is alright," he noticed that Team 8 along with the Daimyo and his guards were listening in as well.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in confusion, "Yeah, she is fine. Like a said before she is trying to find out the perpetrators behind the attack."

Seeing Naruto's puzzlement at Sakura's name, he explained, "Tsunade-sama's summon told her that Sakura's name was deactivated in the summon scroll."

Observing Naruto's surprised expression at that news he continued, "She thought you guys might have been in trouble so she sent us to investigate to help you guys."

Thinking about it Naruto tried to make sense of the information. He knew what getting the name deactivated from the summon scroll usually meant. For Sakura's name to deactivate represented that the ritual had literally killed her. As there was no presence left behind the name deactivated and unless she signed her name once more, she would not be able to summon the slugs.

Grimacing slightly he didn't know how to break the news to her as he knew that she would undoubtedly be angry and if she couldn't sign it again it would break her heart. For now focussing his attention to Shikamaru he could only answer, "I see."

"What happened in there Naruto? We have been here for 3 days and we couldn't enter the temple because of the barrier."

"I can't say anything right now, Shikamaru. Not without talking it over with baachan first. Its S-rank level," Naruto stared into Shikamaru's eyes to convey the sincerity of his words.

"S-rank?" Shikamaru said in surprise. He knew whatever it was had to be related to the Kyuubi, "Man…What kind of training you were doing in there?"

"Ah…learning about how to use chakra better in a general sense," Naruto answered in embarrassment, "Chiriku-san was helping me work through some problems," he said, pointing towards his stomach.

"I see."

Kiba interrupted the conversation with a question of his own, "Then what about Sakura? Do you know what happened with her?"

Naruto didn't answer anything first trying to think of something that would make sense reminding him to talk with Sakura to get their story together, "Ah…that would be my fault."

Cautiously, he elaborated, "I can't say a whole lot guys without talking with Baachan…It really is serious," Looking at each of them to express his seriousness he continued, "You know what deactivation of the name from the scroll means right? Well…Sakura-chan did die."

Noticing their worried expressions he kept going, "She is perfectly fine now," he assured them, "She is not Tsunade-Baachan's student for nothing you know."

"So that's why her name deactivated?" Shino confirmed.

"Yeah… I didn't think even think of it before. I was just glad she was fine when I came to. I am pretty sure she hasn't even noticed what you just told me."

"As long as she is fine, I guess everything is alright," Shikamaru said, as he turned around to walk towards his teammates.

Walking with him, Naruto saw Ino working on keeping Chouji alive, "What happened to Chouji?

"He protected all of us from explosion tags," Shikamaru replied with clenched fists, "But he got hurt in the process."

Walking towards Ino he sat down in front of her to get a good look at Chouji. He could see fatigue on her face as she kept her patient alive but he could see that Chouji had lost a lot of blood, "How is he Ino?"

"That was some killing intent," Ino said in mock anger, "Scared the shit out of me."

Seeing his smirking face she asked, "Sakura really is alright?"

Assuring her that her best friend and rival was alright he said, "She is. Sakura-chan is investigating the cause of the attack."

"Damn," Ino cursed, "If she was here I could have removed the bone easily from his stomach without worrying about him bleeding out."

"How is he though?"

"He is stabilized for now but he is not out of danger yet. With the piece of bone in his stomach, I am making sure that his organs don't give out but there is a greater chance of infection the longer he is not operated on."

"We can't move him?" Naruto asked hoping to get to the palace to provide a better facility for Chouji.

"No, moving him right now would make the damage worse," Ino replied

"I see," Standing up he gestured Shikamaru to follow him to make further plans when he stopped mid stride as felt Kakashi's presence. There was another person with him and if Naruto's hunch was correct, then the other person was none other than Yamato.

Rotating on the balls of his feet he waited for Kakashi to appear in the clearing, "Hey Kakashi-sensei."

As soon as Kakashi entered the area, he heard Naruto addressing him but there was no sign of Sakura. Fearing the worst, Kakashi took a breath to steady himself, "Naruto, where's Sakura?"

"Sakura-chan is fine, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto tried to assure him, "I heard about your mission."

Watching the one eye raised in question, he expounder further, "She is running reconnaissance, trying to find the cause of the attack."

"On her own?"

"Yeah, don't worry Kakashi-sensei we are in constant contact," He pointed towards his ears to point out the radio contact.

Before Kakashi could ask him anymore question, he interrupted the conversation with one of his own, "Sensei, who is that?" He asked pointing towards the person with the forehead guard like the Shodaime Hokage.

"Ah…this is Yamato," Kakashi introduced him, ignoring the questioning look on said person's face at the mention of his name, "Hokage-sama sent him with us in case we needed his expertise."

Nodding his head in acknowledgement of Kakashi's words, Naruto sustained the greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet you Yamato-san…though if you don't mind me asking, what's your expertise?"

"Hello, Naruto," Yamato responded, "though Kakashi-senpai already told you my name, I would like you to address me as Tenzou for the duration of the mission."

Smiling affably, Naruto bobbed his head in agreement, "I see I was correct in your assessment."

"Oh?"

"ANBU…It wasn't as clear when you were standing but the way you move gives away your ranking, though I have been trained to look at those things."

"I see," Yamato said as he studied Naruto further before he replied, "You are correct, of course. I am part of ANBU."

Then forming hand seals he performed a small jutsu that sprouted a small tree, "And this is my expertise."

Making sure that Yamato was able to see his surprised expression, Naruto went on, "Now I see why Baa-chan would send you with this team…though I wasn't aware that there was a mokuton user in Konoha."

"It's not advertised, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted, "I am sure you can relate to that."

Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto looked at Kakashi before something caught his eye. Sitting on Kakashi's shoulder was the familiar of the slug clan. He knew one of the techniques that the slugs had in their arsenal was the ability to talk long distances, which would allow him to talk to Tsunade and explain everything. Before he could put his plan into action, Sakura's voice interrupted him through the link, [Naruto, we have a problem.]

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

She was quite a bit away from the palace but there was a sense of order about the place in stark contrast to the death and destruction going on in the capital. In order to gather information she had hidden herself and followed the trail of people that looked like they were giving instructions.

At first her interrogation didn't yield any results as the people giving orders were nothing more than hired help but she had persevered with her investigation and hit a jackpot as she caught one of the senior commanders of the Fire Lord's army.

Getting information out of him due to Genjutsu, had been easy though the scope of betrayal that ran in the administration surprised her. Apparently, the man had been trying to woo the crown princess in order to one day sit on the throne but she had rejected his advances quite thoroughly.

Someone had taken advantage of his anger and used him to sideline the army. And that someone had turned out to be the secretary of the Daimyo, which had surprised Sakura quite a bit considering she had used her skills on him to make sure the Daimyo was aware of her name.

There was one thing that she was sure of; the secretary was not the mastermind behind the attack. After meeting with him, she knew that he was shrewd but he wasn't smart enough to plan this out. The way the attack was conducted led her to believe that someone had done years of planning but the execution was sloppy due to last minute changes to the plan. The hired help being Ronin hadn't helped the situation any either.

At the moment she was at the home of the General of the West, whose son was rumoured to be in relationship with the Princess of the country. Sticking close to the shadows on the roof, she entered the main building looking around for any activity.

Skulking about in the shadows she came upon a room with its door open. Stepping inside she froze as she observed the body of the Crown Princess of the Fire country stuck on the wall. Snapping out of her daze, "Dammit," she cursed in barely a whisper.

Looking around she saw the son of the General of the West lying in the pool of his blood, though it looked like that he was able to take down a few of his attackers.

'Tch,' she grimaced, 'This would cause more problems for their plan than anything else.'

Hearing the sound of clashing swords coming from the back of the place, she took to the shadows once again. Moving on she came across more sites of blood splattered walls and dead bodies lying on the ground. It was clear that the attackers were not expecting such a response if the dead bodies were any indication.

'The West General must have been good to his staff if his attendants were willing to die for his sake,' She thought as she came upon the dead at almost every turn before the only thing left was the back garden.

Still hidden in the shadows she saw as the General killed someone before he went down with a sword strike through his stomach. Looking closely at the only figure left standing Sakura recognized him as the personal aide to the High General in Daimyo's court.

She had only met the man once in passing but she knew that he was loyal only to the High General. He was hurt but it wasn't life threatening, as the person limped his way towards the exit. Seeing her chance, she wove a Genjutsu, swiftly appearing behind the person and paralyzing him.

As he fell, Sakura grabbed his hair and slammed his head on the wall. Seeing his dazed expression she slapped him on both cheeks to disorient him further before slamming his back onto the wall. Waiting for him to regain some semblance as he looked at her dazedly, she wove another Genjutsu on him. This one was designed specifically for interrogation purpose to inhibits a person's sense of self and disrupt their ability to think clearly.

As she saw him recognize her, she questioned, "What is the aide of the Honorable High General doing here, Gennouji?"

Seeing the sneer on his face, she stabbed a kunai in his shoulder before he could utter a single word.

Gennouji, felt disoriented, he felt scared, and he knew his leg was hurt but the kunai to the shoulder scared him the most. Before he could think anything else, he heard the kunoichi's voice, "I can do this all day and it's only going to get worse."

As he thought about giving in to make the pain stop, he heard her speak, "Why did the High General betray his Daimyo?"

Sakura watched him trying to gather himself in order to bear the pain. Remembering the first rule of interrogation, 'To make sure the target was never able to find their centre,' she placed her right hand on top of the target's head as an ear-piercing scream escaped her captive.

Removing her hand thirty seconds later as the screaming died down, she asked once more, "Tell me or what I did just now, will get even worse."

Gennouji was scared, he couldn't move his arms or legs, 'I can't feel anything except pain,' he thought with tears in his eyes.

His throat was raw from screaming as the kunoichi tortured him but he kept remembering the face of his lord. He had saved him; given him a place to work but he didn't know how long he could hold out. The pain was too much and he just wanted it to stop. Gathering himself, he was smacked once again as he fell towards the ground and the knife in his shoulder cut deeply into the bone. Crying to himself, he hoped the pain would end soon.

Maintaining the Genjutsu she wore down his resilience after two more pain filled episodes. She had to marvel at his devotion since he was able to withstand her technique three times before he broke.

If he was trained in the ninja arts then it would have taken her longer to break him down but as a Samurai without any training in the mind arts his resilience was noteworthy. The technique that she used on him activated all the pain receptors in the body at the same time. She didn't want to use any big Ninjutsu in case she would have to fight anyone stronger when she went after the High General. As it was she was running low from hiding Isoku within her.

Getting back to the task at hand, she heard the plan regarding the attack and the reason behind it. She found out how the army was occupied with quite a few of Daimyo's supporters, under the guise of betrayal. Hearing all the information that she needed to answer all of her questions, she killed him quickly even as she contacted Naruto through the link.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

As Naruto heard Sakura's voice through the link, he put his hand on his ear trying to make it seem like he was talking to Sakura through the radio. In order to maintain appearances he voiced, "Sakura-chan?"

Moving a little ways away, he saw Kakashi and Yamato checking up on Chouji, as he sent through the link, [What problem, Sakura-chan?]

[I have a general idea of the reason behind the attack.]

Steadying himself for the news, he hoped that they weren't at fault though Sakura's pause didn't reassure him, [Was it our fault?]

[Partly,] she said still thinking of the implications.

[What do you mean?]

[I can't confirm anything yet, until I get my hands on the bastard but it is the High General of the Daimyo, who is behind the attack.]

Naruto could only shake his head in bewilderment. He knew someone high up had to be involved though it never occurred to him that the Daimyo's right hand would be the cause, [Why?]

Naruto felt her steady herself through the bond, [He thought the Daimyo was resurrecting the twelve ninja guardians.]

[What?] Naruto asked in surprise, [Why?]

[Because of us,] Sakura sighed, [He thought the Daimyo was interested in us because of it.]

Sakura sensed Naruto's disbelief as he didn't say anything; she knew he was finding it hard to believe, [From his point of view, the Daimyo was going to make us into his guards. It didn't help that we appeared here right after we killed Sasori.]

[Killing an S-rank ninja provided a good measure of our skills, and then we made it seem like we were training at the Fire Temple, with the head monk.]

[The previous member of twelve ninja guardians,] Naruto finished for her, shaking his head at the turn of events.

[Yes,] Sakura concurred before asking a question, [Did you know that Tsunade-shishou send Kakashi-sensei here?]

"Yeah," Naruto said out loud to show the others around him that he was still in conversation with Sakura, "Kakashi-sensei brought Team 8 and Team 10 here along with an ANBU named Yamato."

Seeing the disapproving expression on Yamato's face Naruto added, "Though he wants us to call him Tenzou for this mission," as he heard Kakashi's chuckling at his response.

[Why did they all come here?] Sakura asked in puzzlement.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto sent calm feelings towards his wife, [Sakura-chan, it's because your name deactivated from the summon scroll,] he said in one go.

[I see,] Sakura said distractedly as she thought about the reasons behind the deactivation.

[You are a lot calmer than I thought you would be after hearing that.]

[It's because I think I know why it happened,] She replied elaborating, [Last time when I did the ritual I didn't truly pass from this plane. It was similar to me being clinically dead. I wasn't technically living but I could come back with resuscitation.]

[This time because of sensei, I ceased to exist in the world of the living,] Sakura continued in a melancholy voice, [So, of course my name deactivated from the slug clan.]

Sending his love through the link he asked, [Do you think they would let you join in once more?]

[I don't know without talking with Katsuyu-san,] she replied before getting back to the topic at hand, [For now though, it seems that Kakashi-sensei arrival with Team 8 and Team 10 fed his fears.]

[Of course, it probably didn't help that all of them are clan heirs,] Naruto replied sarcastically.

[No, it didn't,] Sakura assented, [So, we got a situation where the High general wants to kills the Head of his country but he was worried that the reinstatement of the ninja guardians would make it very hard to accomplish his task.]

[How long has he been planning this?]

[I don't know,] She answered, [I think he probably was planning it for quite a while but last time he didn't get a chance to put his plans into action.]

Thinking about it Naruto considered the factors that made things different. The last time Sakura and he were busy training, fighting Akatsuki and going after Sasuke before the world war happened. Trying to think about the right hand of the Daimyo dying, he couldn't come up with anything.

Looking at his train of thoughts, Sakura interrupted him, [I think you are on the right track. I remember reading about him dying during the Shinobi war, when the fighting spread.]

[And his plans never came to fruition,] Shaking his head at the events, he asked a question that had been puzzling him throughout, [But why attack, at all?]

[Most likely he is tired of playing second fiddle to the Daimyo or just plain greed,] Sakura said mentally shrugging at the stupidity, [From what I can gather, the High General fancies himself a Daimyo.]

[Ah…A Danzo of Fire Capital?] Naruto asked pertaining to the mad man hiding in Konoha's darkness who wanted to be Hokage so badly that he was willing to commit the most heinous acts for it.

[No, I think comparison between Shodaime and Madara is more apt,] sensing his confusion through the bond she explained, [The founding of Konoha was not an original idea you know. Shodaime actually got the idea from the founding of the Fire Country.]

[So,] he concluded, [The current Fire lord's ancestor became the head of the country and the High General's ancestor resented it.]

[Yeah, but unlike Madara, the current High General's ancestor didn't leave. If fact he became the High General and since then the position has been passed down through the family.]

Sending his understanding through the link, [So, he made sure the resentment passed down the generations.]

[Most likely,] Sakura replied affirmatively.

[And that was his plan? Kill the Daimyo so that he could become one?]

[Yeah, if the current Fire lord died, then without any heirs the throne would pass to the High General,] Sakura replied.

[That's only if he kills the crown princess as well right?] Naruto asked. He knew that the Daimyo had a son and a daughter before the Crown Prince passed away in an accident.

[That's the thing Naruto, she is dead as well,] Sakura responded with an irritated growl, [I am looking at her dead body as we speak.]

[What?] He uttered in surprise.

[Yeah, now that the crown is without an heir, the Fire Lord's days are numbered,] Sakura said distractedly as she tried to think of something to salvage the situation, [This bastard ruined all our plans.]

[Shit!] He swore as the situation turned out to be worse than he thought. He knew they couldn't protect the Daimyo the whole time and without an heir the others in the court will see this as their chance to become the head of the Fire country. They would make sure that the current head wouldn't get a chance to procreate again, even though it was likely that the Fire lord had several concubines on the side.

[The only thing left for us to do would be to make sure a person of our choosing becomes the new Daimyo.]

Thinking on it a little Naruto was ready to agree with Sakura's reasoning when a stray thought entered his mind. Concentrating on it he tried to come up with a plan surrounding the general idea, [Sakura-chan, I have an idea.]

Sensing a change in his thinking pattern, Sakura had given him some space as he tried to think of a solution; as such she wasn't able to see his plan, [What?]

[What if we modified our plan a little?] Naruto said while thinking. Before he could explain his plan though Naruto felt a disruption in his concentration as he found a hand tapping his shoulder, "Naruto, what's going on?"

Hearing Kakashi's voice Naruto realized he must have been quiet for a bit too long, "Sorry Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan was explaining the situation to me."

"What is she saying?"

"Ah…" Naruto acted once more as he put his hand on his ear trying to send his plan to Sakura through the link, before talking to Kakashi, "Sakura-chan is asking if you would provide her with backup?"

"Of course," Kakashi agreed instantly.

"She has found the perpetrator behind the attack," he continued seeing the surprise on everyone's faces, "But before she can confront him, there is something else that she needs you to do."

Facing the direction east of the Fire Palace Naruto explained, "In that direction at the very end of the capital there is a big valley, where the soldiers that were supposed to be protecting the capital are engaged in a force that is picking them apart."

Turning towards the Fire lord he resumed, "The force picking at your soldiers is under the command of the High General."

"What?" Fire Lord bellowed out, "What proof do you have?"

"Sakura-chan, just interrogated the right hand man of the High General, sir," Naruto replied politely.

"Gennouji?" The Daimyo whispered.

"Yes sir. From what we understand till now, the High General has spread out the army sending them through the Fire Country to the different generals as a training exercise," Naruto said with as much civility as he could muster at the stupidity of the person in front of him.

For the High General to send out the army, he would need the Daimyo's permission. To be able to move so many soldiers meant that the Fire Lord had approved it, "That is why Sakura-chan is asking if Kakashi-sensei and Tenzou-san would be willing to help out the army."

"He planned to kill you and the Princess so that he could take the throne himself," Naruto said as he watched the Daimyo's face as the implication that even if he survived, if there was no crown heir his chances would not be very high, sunk in, "The army would be able to provide you and your family protection while maintaining order in the streets of the capital."

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the Daimyo turned towards the copy ninja, "Kakashi-san, you must go and help out the army. It is imperative that the capital be defended."

As he heard Kakashi's acknowledgement to the Daimyo's orders, Naruto planned his next move, "Kakashi-sensei," as the man turned towards him he continued, "You still have the seal from last time?"

As Kakashi nodded affirmatively, Naruto turned towards Yamato and gave him the seal as well, "Just press it on your forehead," seeing his skeptical look he explained, "This will allow you to communicate with Sakura-chan and I without worrying about interference from radio jammers."

"Kakashi-sensei, as soon as the army is free to mobilize, Sakura-chan wants both of you to look for the Princess while she tracks down the High General."

Indicating Chouji's condition he continued, "Since we can't move Chouji yet, Team 8 and Team 10 will stay here and defend this place until Sakura-chan can get here, while I will escort Daimyo-sama back to the palace."

Seeing general agreement to his plan, Naruto saw Kakashi and Yamato quickly leave before he took out 5 seal papers and passed it around the members of Team 8 and 10, "This is exactly the same thing as what I gave to Yamato. Keep it on you at all times and if you have a problem just put chakra into it."

Turning towards the Daimyo, Naruto smiled politely, "Sir, ma'am we should leave for the Palace," as the Daimyo acknowledged his request Naruto started walking, escorting the Daimyo.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

As soon as there was some distance between the Daimyo and the rest of Konoha ninja, Naruto performed a Genjutsu to disorient the five people with him before they fell unconscious. Stepping inside the home on the right side of the street he made sure that it was empty before placing the Daimyo and his wife on the floor.

Going outside he relocated the guards to the front porch of the house. Then sticking a seal paper on each of the three heads he moved to the four corners of the house placing seals at each corner. Once he completed his task he moved back in before sitting down and moving through a set of hand seals.

For now things were going according to his plan. Kakashi and Yamato were busy dealing with the army. However, what they didn't know and he hadn't told them was that the person behind the whole attack was also there. He knew they would be able to figure it out, and either apprehend or kill him. It didn't matter to Naruto whether the High General stayed alive or not. The important part was that the two senior ninja were sidelined.

Now that the Daimyo and Madam Shinji were here it was time to begin the modification. Naruto smiled as Sakura appeared inside the room. Watching closely, he realized that the air was rippling as Sakura materialized feet first followed by the rest of her body.

[Sakura-chan? What was that technique?] Naruto asked observing the ripples fade away.

[That's one of the newest technique I learned. I can go anywhere in the world with it,] She said as she eyed the Daimyo and his wife lying on the ground.

Before he could ask any more questions, she stopped him with one of her own, [Are you sure about this, Naruto?]

Reminding him to ask her about the new space-time Ninjutsu that she apparently learned, he asked, [You don't like the plan?].

[It's not that I don't like the plan but isn't it a bit too convenient?]

[Of course it is, Sakura-chan,] he tried to reassure her, [If there are too many complicated parts to it then it will become a problem.]

Turning her head towards the two lying on the ground he went on, [We didn't know what to do with them before. This way both of them will survive, we won't harm anyone unnecessarily and one of our goals will be met.]

[Yeah, but if this unravels we would have a lot of explaining to do,] she said thinking about the plan, [And what do we do about Tsunade-shishou?]

[Yeah, that is the one thing I am nervous about,] Naruto agreed before shrugging it off, [But what else is there to do? We will just cover our bases Sakura-chan, it will be fine.]

[What about the letter?]

[I will do that when I get to the Palace. I have a general idea but I need one of his scrolls to complete that part of the plan,] he said as he saw Sakura go about working on the Daimyo.

For now though, Naruto seriously hoped that things worked out the way they wanted, otherwise there was a good chance that the Fire Capital would get thrown to the wolves due to the other candidates vying for the position of Daimyo. It was in their best interest to make sure the head of the Fire country survived.

If they had to change a few things then Naruto wouldn't lose any sleep over it. It would make him feel even better if things went according to their plan though he was still worried about the reaction Tsunade would have.

Shaking out of his stupor, Naruto set about weaving the Genjutsu as Sakura sat back tired from completing her task. As soon as he was done, he stood up, [Well this part is done. You go ahead and meet Kakashi –sensei while I take the Daimyo to the palace.]

Looking at the time he realized an hour had passed. Waking up the nobility who were still trapped in the Genjutsu, Naruto dropped the barrier, walking out towards the path they were previously walking on. Once he made sure everything was the same as when he put the Daimyo into a Genjutsu, he broke the illusion and kept walking apace with the rest of the group. He had a palace to reach and a few scrolls to see, till then he silently walked beside the head of the Fire Country like a good ninja.

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End of Chapter …

**_There it's done. For now this is one of the longest chapters I have written. I understand that there might be a lot of mistakes here and once I get better I will certainly go through it to correct the basic grammatical errors. I hope I answered some of your questions that Naruto and Sakura would not be God-modded and start pwning things. I hope you find this chapter satisfactory in answering some of the questions. From the next chapter we are going full steam ahead as the preparations for Naruto and Sakura are all complete. It's time to face the big baddies. Yay, I can't wait. Before that though Tsunade will need some answers from the two brats: P …Let's see how that goes. For now though thank you for your support. _**

**_Please leave a review._**


	7. True Performance

**_Hey Guys…Thank you for the reviews. I can't believe my story crossed the 150 review mark. It feels awesome. _**

**_I wasn't originally going to post this chapter. This was all cut out from chapter 6. After thinking about it, I realized that it would be better for you to be aware of Naruto and Sakura's role in other areas of life (e.g. political/ intelligence etc.) as well. They need to provide information and this chapter mainly deals with how they go about it. I think I mentioned in chapter 1 as well, that this story was about more than just fighting. This chapter deals with one aspect of giving information to Tsunade and Jiraiya without being contrived. Other than that I don't know what else to say. Hopefully, this chapter will satisfy your curiosity and not leave you disappointed. _**

**_To lordamnesia…thank you for the suggestion. I am looking into the Dragon speech thing. Sounds really helpful and I am glad you are enjoying the story._**

**_To the reviewer who said that my story was reaching DBZ levels because Sakura turned about to be Kami's daughter or something. I wonder if we are reading the same manga. We have people who can make dreams into reality, control people through eyes, put wooden cells into others to increase their strength, vitality and apparently stop aging. You have people attracting meteors from the sky and if that's not enough then bringing people back from dead, who can regenerate any and all body parts and you are worried about one statement. I even said that Sakura is not going to have dues ex machina. So thank you for the review but I don't think I have done something totally over the top yet. The only thing I can say is please keep reading and hopefully I won't disappoint you._**

**_So, ends my rant….Thank you once again. Please leave a review…_**

Link talk: [….] (Bracket use)

Disclaimer: **_I don't own Naruto manga or anime. It's all a property of Kishimoto and Shueisha. I also, don't make any money out of it and only write because I want to play around the wonderful world that Kishimoto created. I understand that my story is not everyone's cup of tea and can only suggest other wonderful writers on the website. If that doesn't sate your thirst may be reading professional work would be right up your alley. I can heartily recommend this Kishi-guy. Creates good characters he does._**

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Landing outside the gates to the entrance of Konoha, Naruto observed the higher than usual security personnel. It was to be expected since the attack on the Fire capital was not even a day old. Once they were able to finish their tasks, Naruto and Sakura had literally been dead on their feet. After Kakashi and Yamato had helped the army and captured the person responsible for the attack, they had ordered both Naruto and Sakura to sleep in a make shift room inside the palace.

This was of course after Sakura had met the Konoha team for the first time since they arrived at the capital. She then promptly got to work on helping Ino stabilize Chouji so that they could take out the piece of bone sticking in his stomach. The operation had been a success but Naruto had seen Sakura's condition as chakra exhaustion hit her. So, without any complaints both of them slept at the palace at 7 in the morning while the Konoha team guarded them.

When they woke up at 11, they had found the Capital filled with presence of ninjas from Konoha. It seemed that Tsunade wanted the capital to return to normal as quickly as possible. Of course, the hidden meaning behind it was to guard the Daimyo as word of death of the Crown Princess spread throughout the capital.

The presence of other ninjas gave Naruto some semblance of peace of mind. The Daimyo was still in danger but if his plan went well and he intended to make sure that it does then in 3 days they would create waves throughout Konoha.

For now though, Naruto had made sure the Fire Daimyo and his wife had locked themselves in their room, mourning for their daughter. Outside the gate Sakura had asked Chiriku himself to guard the Head of the Fire country until the situation returned to normal. That gave them a little more insurance for their plan.

Knowing that Naruto was lost in his thoughts, she interrupted him through the link, [Naruto, pass Chouji onto the medical staff. They will take him to the hospital.]

[Hmm?] Looking at her distractedly, he came to his senses as her words sunk in, [Yeah, of course.]

Turning towards the medical group, he asked his Kage Bunshin who had been carrying the stretcher from the Capital to Konoha, "Guys you can give them the stretcher."

Once the stretcher was passed to the personnel, the Kage Bunshin dispelled, as Naruto watched the medical staff going towards the hospital. Moving towards the entrance of Konoha, Naruto asked Sakura, [He is going to be fine, right?]

[Yeah, there is nothing wrong with him,] she reassured him, [Ino, just wants to make sure that he gets proper rest. He will be up and moving within the week.]

[That's good,] Naruto said as relief poured through the link, [It looked like he lost a lot of blood yesterday.]

[He did but Ino made sure that he organs kept working until I arrived and we removed the debris,] She replied thinking about the night, [I am just glad Ino was there, otherwise I would seriously have been in trouble.]

[I know. You were barely able to stand especially after you took a look at Akamaru's wound.]

[Luckily, the wound was only skin deep. The dermis of the dogs is a bit different but it was still within calculations,] stretching the kinks out of her shoulders, [Otherwise he would have needed a veterinarian.]

[I am just glad we were able to complete the preparations.]

[Are you going to the capital tonight?]

[Yeah, I just want to double check everything.]

[Okay,] she said with a melancholy voice, [I will complete my part here.]

Hearing the sad tone, Naruto sent his love through the link, [Sakura-chan, we don't have to do this. If you want-]

[No,] she interrupted him, [Its fine. I am not losing anyone…Things would just be a bit different, I guess.]

Hearing Kakashi addressing the group both of them stopped the conversation, "Let's go. Chouji is in good hands and we have to get debriefed."

[We have to be careful with what we say,] Sakura warned Naruto through the link.

He knew she was talking about being careful regarding the information they were going to release to Tsunade. They were going to reveal a lot of things of which quite a few would be made up but it will tie into the truth about the things that the Hokage was not aware of. He was pretty sure Jiraiya would be present at the meeting along with Kakashi but they were prepared for it. They had the information but the execution behind the release of information was extremely important.

[I hope they buy everything,] Naruto thought distractedly.

[We haven't given them a reason not to trust us,] Sakura replied sending calm feelings through the link, [And we don't intent to break that trust either.]

[I know…it's just that we are going to tell them a lot of half-truths. I know we have gone over the story a couple of times but I am still nervous.]

[I am too but there is nothing else to do, except face the questions,] Sakura said with determination through the bond, [We will be fine.]

Moving through the front gates they noticed the looks of acknowledgement from the general ninja's milling about. They figured the word of their fight against Akatsuki must have spread, likely helped by the increased co-operation between Konoha and Suna. So, greeting them with a nod of their own Naruto and Sakura kept pace with the group as they walked towards the Hokage Tower.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Hokage Tower…

Once they had reached the office of the Hokage, Naruto abruptly opened the door barging in, "Hey Baachan."

With the rest of the group coming in, Naruto was suddenly pushed to the side crashing into a wall as Tsunade instantly appeared in front of her apprentice to look her over, "You look fine."

Smiling at the worry behind Tsunade's eyes, she assured her, "I am fine Tsunade-shishou. We have a story to tell you."

"And I am looking forward to hearing as to why my student gave up the slug contract," Tsunade said as she regained her bearing, going in her Hokage mode.

Before Sakura could say anything, Naruto interrupted the conversation, "And we will explain everything to you but we would rather you hear about it first," He said as he got up leaving behind an imprint in the wall, "If you think that it's okay for us to tell them I wouldn't mind it."

"Oh?" Tsunade looked at Naruto's serious face.

"It's a matter of village security, though danger to the ninja world is not far behind."

"I see," Tsunade replied as she moved back to her seat and pressed a button on her desk.

Looking at all the people present in the room, she smiled in relief, "I am very glad that all of you are alright," then turning towards Ino she asked, "What about Chouji? How is his condition?"

"He is fine, Hokage-sama. With Sakura's help I was able to remove the piece of bone lodged in his stomach," Ino stepped forward, "For now he is resting in the hospital."

Proud of her student's accomplishment, Tsunade intoned, "Good. I heard about how you kept him alive and waited until Sakura could assist you."

As Ino bowed her head at the praise, the door to the room opened as Shizune came in followed by Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku, "Good, you guys are here."

"Shizune, Chouji-kun is in the hospital. I want you to run a diagnostic and get me a full report." She ordered.

"Of course Tsunade-sama, right away," Shizune responded as she turned to leave before stopping to look at Sakura, "I am glad you are alright, Sakura."

"Thank you, Shizune-san," She smiled politely; "I will catch up with you after I get debriefed."

As Shizune left for the hospital, Tsunade turned towards the two senior Shinobi that were left behind. She could see that Shikaku and Inoichi were worried about Chouji, "Inoichi, you will debrief Team 8 and 10. I want to know what they saw and how Chouji-kun got hurt."

Seeing the relieved expression on his face, Tsunade dismissed him with a nod, "Of course, Hokage-sama."

Turning towards Chuunin from both teams he pointed towards the door, "Let's go. We have a ways to go before I can get some information out of you."

"Oh come on Daddy," Ino interrupted as she held her father's arm, "Your daughter has just returned from saving the Daimyo of Fire country… you can show a little leniency."

Shaking his head at his daughter's antics, Inoichi kept walking out of the room closing the door behind him, "Sorry Princess. As proud as I am of your accomplishment, Hokage-sama's orders come first."

As the door closed behind them Tsunade could only look at the scene in fond remembrance as she remembered talking with father after a particularly harrowing mission. Knowing the kids were in good hands she turned towards the people left behind.

Looking at Yamato standing at attention, she thought about making him stay but changed her mind at the last minute, "You will get debriefed at the HQ. The commander is standing by."

Straightening, Yamato answered in a crisp voice, "Right away, Hokage-sama," before he disappeared from the room.

Facing Shikaku she pointed towards one of the seats around her desk, "Have a seat, Shikaku. Both of them apparently have information that pertains to village security."

'Troublesome,' Nara Shikaku thought as he dropped down in a seat with a bored expression though he was observing Naruto and Sakura closely.

There was something about them that had his sixth sense tingling but he couldn't put a finger on it. Thinking on it a little the only thing he could come up with was the way they both stood there alert and ready for anything even though the postures were totally relaxed. It was something very few people were away to pull off as it usually took a good amount of awareness for a shinobi to be totally relaxed but be ready to go into action instantly.

Interrupting his train of thought, Shikaku saw as Naruto walked towards the window and opened it, "You might want to come in for this Ero-sennin."

"Gaki, don't call me that," Jiraiya uttered the old phrase with a scowl, "I heard you were training at the capital."

"Yeah."

Dramatically grabbing onto his chest Jiraiya cried, "Oh how could you? Leaving behind your old sensei to train with someone bald? Don't you like my beautiful mane of hair?"

"Of course I don't," Naruto said chuckling, "Don't know how many fleas you must have passed onto me."

"Oye," Jiraiya growled, "I don't have fleas in my hair."

Snickering slightly Naruto said, "Says who?"

Turning towards Tsunade, Jiraiya pouted with puppy dog eyes, "Tell him I don't have fleas in my hair hime. It will ruin my reputation."

"Reputation?" Tsunade deadpanned shaking her head at her teammates stupidity, "Alright enough of your antics. You are a grown man stop using puppy dog eyes. You look like a wrinkled old flea bag."

Hearing her words Naruto couldn't help but guffaw at Jiraiya's expression, "Serves you right, Ero-sennin." Kakashi and Sakura were faring no better as they tried to hide their laughter.

"Okay, let get back to the matter at hand," Tsunade interrupted before it could go any further.

At the silence that permeated the room, she saw Naruto observing Shikaku. He was staring straight at him, while the Nara clan head was looking at him through lazy eyes. After working with the man she knew that the laziness was behavioral and an act at the same time, he was alert.

"Naruto, you can trust him," Tsunade tried to assure him, "He is the Jounin-"

"I know Baachan," Naruto interrupted her mid-sentence, "I am glad he is here."

'Baachan, Ero-sennin and Kakashi-sensei are certainly surprised to hear that,' He thought as watching their facial expressions. Though noting the slight widening of Shikaku's eyes told him that the Jounin commander was faring no better. Smiling slightly he explained his reasons, "When I was younger, he was one of the people who didn't discriminate against me, other than jiji, of course."

As Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at Naruto with sadness, he continued, "Also, he didn't stop Shikamaru from associating with me," looking at Shikaku to convey his thanks he chuckled slightly, "Of course, I was a down right annoying to Shika because of the amount of energy I had but it was one of the first bonds I made with people my age. So thank you."

Shikaku looked decidedly uncomfortable as the Hokage and the vaunted Toad Sage Jiraiya thanked him. Composing himself he just shrugged, "Ah…You are welcome."

Turning towards Tsunade Naruto explained his reasons further, "Well, after that I kind of made it my mission to find out more about him."

Of course, it helped that Naruto remembered how Shikaku had trusted him to go after Pein on his own after he had attacked Konoha. He never got to personally know the person behind Nara Shikaku considering he died from the attack on the HQ during the Fourth World War. This time though he wanted to know more about that man from whom Shikamaru took a lot of his strategies and teachings.

"Anyway I don't mind that he is here at all," Then gesturing around the room he went on, "But you might want to erect a barrier around the room."

Nodding her head in understanding, she made a few hand seals as a barrier covered the whole room, "Now let's hear it."

Taking a deep breath Sakura looked straight at Tsunade, "I guess I should start at the beginning. It might seem like I am going off-topic but I think it's better if you understand the back story as well."

Hesitating a little, she continued, "It would make you understand the reason behind the attack at the capital a bit better."

Tsunade could only raise her eyebrow in interest. Looking around she saw that her Jonin Commander, along with Jiraiya and Kakashi were paying it a lot of attention as well, "Alright. I will listen."

"But first," she looked towards the small snail sitting on her desk, "Katsuyu you might as well get comfortable."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," the small snail travelled towards the edge of the desk before falling to the floor. A second later a 4 foot snail emerged from the smoke, "Thank you."

Once she saw Katsuyu settle down, Sakura continued her tale, "Shishou, you remember the mission where I went to the Capital as your aide right after I became Jounin?"

"Yeah," Tsunade nodded her head.

"That's when I met Chiriku-san for the first time," She emphasized, "You see I had been researching different aspects of chakra, especially the yin-yang side."

"Oh?" Tsunade said in surprise.

"Yes, right after I got my promotion to Jounin, I realized that I could recognize a person's general tendencies through sensing the yin-yang part of chakra."

Looking towards the Nara clan head she pointed, "I could feel the use of Yin aspect through the techniques used by the Nara clan, or the Yang aspect through the Akimichi clan."

At their stunned expressions at her sensory ability she elaborated, "Of course, it wasn't instant. It took some time for me to take apart a person's aspect but through that I could see that you are Yang oriented, it almost seems to seep out of you. It was the same with Naruto."

"Why didn't you tell me about it before?" Tsunade questioned.

"It wasn't complete shishou and I was trying to use it for something more than a rudimentary sensory ability. You see after sorting through my own chakra I realized that it was leaning towards the Yin part of it. That is why as Kakashi-sensei used to say that I was inclined for Genjutsu."

"But that didn't please me at all," She shook her head negatively, "I wanted to balance my chakra but even after doing physical exercise every day for three years I noticed that yin was still the dominant part."

"Of course, for someone like you," Here she pointed at Shikaku, "It's not a problem. After all your techniques are designed to keep that in mind but for me that wasn't acceptable. I am medic nin which means I use the health and vitality of the yang chakra to heal people."

Staring at Tsunade she shrugged a little, "Since, my chakra leaned towards the yin side it meant that sooner or later I would hit a wall."

"But Sakura, you have been doing very well as my apprentice," Tsunade articulated, "In fact, the way you have branched out on your own, I don't have very much left to teach you at all."

Smiling in gratitude at the praise, she continued, "Thank you Shishou, but my goal is to surpass you and I can't do that by leaving holes in my training."

"Anyway you get the general idea of what I was dealing with at the time," She said moving on to the next part, "So, imagine my surprise when on a simple mission to the capital, I come across an individual whose chakra was balanced."

Looking at the interested expressions all around her, she expanded, "His yin and yang portion of chakra were perfectly lined together. It was very different from what I had observed around Konoha, so I approached him."

"To my surprise, he didn't mind showing me his training," she explained with gratitude clearly visible on her face, "But I had to take a rain check at the time since, I couldn't stay there for long."

"My next chance came four days ago when Daimyo called Naruto and me to the capital."

"What did the Daimyo want?" Tsunade bluntly asked.

"Nothing," Naruto shrugged, "It was boring. We had dinner and he introduced us to his staff and stuff. Even then it wasn't about us," He groused, "But more about you two."

"This is the current Hokage apprentice and this young man is the Toad Sage's apprentice," Naruto mimicked in a high pitch voice eliciting chuckles at his childish behaviour.

"Well what did you expect, brat? You haven't made a name for yourself yet," Jiraiya teased Naruto furthering his scowl.

"Yeah, Yeah, I bet he is just a fan of your book," Naruto growled.

"Of course he is. Its great literature," He puffed his chest proudly as Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Oh please, I read that you know and I can say with full confidence," Naruto paused for build up, "Its utter crap."

"You take that back," Jiraiya roared.

"Make me," Both student and master glared at each other.

"Alright, that enough," Tsunade put a stop to their bickering getting back to the topic, "So, after dinner you trained with Chiriku-san?"

Nodding her head, Sakura answered, "He didn't mind Naruto's presence so we started in the night as we didn't know how long it would take to complete the task."

"And that's when," Naruto interrupted, "All hell broke loose."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto's overly dramatic answer, "You see, Shishou, in order for us to get our chakra in balance, we had to confront our inner most desires, fears, etc."

"Ah… the standard spiel about facing your inner demon," Jiraiya sagely pointed out as if sharing a joke with Tsunade if the smiles on both their faces was anything to go by.

"Yeah, but," Naruto sarcastically cut in, "In my case that turned out to literally be true."

"Kyuubi?" Kakashi questioned.

"I wish," Naruto scoffed, "No, it wasn't as easy. You see I never realized it before but the treatment of villagers did affect me."

"Of course, it did Naruto," Tsunade said sadly, "You wouldn't be human if it didn't."

Cutting in Sakura explained, "But in his case we all thought pranks were his way of getting attention and getting back to the village."

Seeing nods from the assembled ninja, she continued, "Well that turned out to be wrong," Smiling sadly she looked at her teacher, "It affected him a lot more than he showed… he just kept storing it all inside."

"And in my case that turned out to be a bad thing," Naruto shrugged in embarrassment at the worried expressions, "Apparently, I had bundled it together so well that my negative emotions were able to take form inside my mindscape."

Hearing a gasp from Tsunade, Naruto nodded his head as Jiraiya asked the question, "So, you literally had to face your demon in corporeal form?"

"Yeah," He grimaced.

[Talking about it, still brings out a lot of bad memories, even though it was in the past] He said thinking about the time he did the training to try to work with Kurama.

[I know Naruto,] Sakura replied in understanding, [Just concentrate on your part right now.]

Rubbing the back of his neck he groaned, "That was no joke. The darker version had no inhibitions and he was strong as hell."

Releasing a sigh he went on, "Anyway, the resident fur ball of course sided with the other side," He deadpanned even as he apologized to Kurama. He did explain to him that his counterpart in the other world had done exactly as he said.

"At this point, Kyuubi's chakra started to pour out of his body and that's when I helped Chiriku-san erect a barrier," She said taking a deep breath as she knew the next part was going to bring her some flak.

"While he was fighting for control, I noticed something," she went on as she saw the look on Tsunade's face. Even Shikaku was looking at her with narrowed eyes, "While Kyuubi's chakra was poisonous it was aligned towards the yang side of chakra."

Watching Jiraiya's face out of the corner of her eye she stated her train of thought, "After I found out about Naruto being a Jinchuuriki, I thought that Yondaime had sealed all of it into Naruto."

"He only sealed half of it, right?" She asked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya stared at Tsunade to get her permission before he answered Sakura's question, "Yeah. I don't know what happened that night but I know he only sealed the Yang part of chakra within Naruto."

"I came to the same conclusion but I had no proof at the time," she acknowledged his statement, "Once I saw the yang chakra making Naruto more foxlike, I tried something that in hindsight was stupid."

At Tsunade's raised eyebrow she elaborated, "I tried to balance the Kyuubi's yang chakra with my yin."

"You what?!" Tsunade bellowed as she glared at Sakura.

Seeing her teachers enraged visage towering above her, she tried to make herself as small as she could. Even though, it was all acting, Tsunade's furious face still scared the shit out of her. She saw Jiraiya get up from his seat trying to calm Tsunade's temper.

As soon as she reigned in her temper, Tsunade said through gritted teeth, "Never before in my life have I heard something stupider than this."

"Shishou, I was desperate," She tried to explain herself, "I wasn't thinking clearly. Naruto was in trouble so I tried the first thing that came to mind."

"Sakura," Kakashi leapt in the conversation, "While I am happy that you took my teaching to heart, you put yourself in immense danger doing something like that."

"I am just glad you are alive," Jiraiya added his two cents.

"Ah…" Naruto cut in with a haunted look in his eyes, "But she did die, Ero-sennin. I saw it happen with my own eyes."

As four pair of eyes turned towards him he divulged the events, "When she was trying to balance the chakra, somehow she appeared in my mindscape," Then keeping his head down he uttered, "And that's when I killed her."

"No," Sakura grabbed everyone's attention, "It wasn't him. It was his darker counterpart," looking towards Naruto she went on, "He tried to protect me."

Though Naruto might have been lying through his teeth to Tsunade and the rest of them, the expression of misery on his face was real as he remembered the ritual where she lost her mind before dying.

[I am here Naruto,] Sakura sent him her love as she saw the images he had conjured in his mind.

[I know, Sakura-chan… I am just glad you don't have to do that anymore.]

"Anyway," Naruto interrupted the silence, "I wasn't able to protect her. As I saw her die in front of me, I went berserk."

Seeing Tsunade's questioning look he replied, "I was so angry that I destroyed the darkness within me. I literally killed it."

"And that's how Sakura-chan died Katsuyu-san. When she passed on the contract was broken and her name deactivated," He said looking at the leader of the slug clan, "I would be grateful if you take that into consideration when you choose whether to allow Sakura-chan a chance to sign the contract once more."

"Of course, Naruto-kun," The slug responded softly.

Bowing his head in thanks, Naruto heard Jiraiya's question, "What happened after that?"

"Well, this is where it gets a little confusing," Naruto answered as he tried to think of way to go about it, "After I had killed my counterpart, I absorbed the chakra he had in his possession. Once that was done I changed my target to the resident in my stomach."

"You went to fight the Kyuubi?" the Nara clan head whispered in dread.

"Umm," Naruto stalled, before he uttered a statement that surprised everyone, "I went to kill it."

Shrugging he explain his thought process, "At the time I wasn't thinking clearly as you can imagine. In fact, I would say that I was on autopilot."

"So… you opened the seal?" Jiraiya asked fearing the answer.

"No, that didn't even enter my mind. I went straight into the cage," he answered with a self-deprecating smile.

When nobody said anything he went on, "At first I tried to fight him, when that didn't go anywhere…I somehow started to absorb his chakra within my body."

"What?" Tsunade questioned.

"Yeah, even I don't know what happened," he shook his head, "I don't remember what I was doing exactly but I was literally taking his chakra."

"I was literally seconds away from taking all of his chakra," He said as his lips formed a thin line, "Or at least I thought I was."

"From you wording I take it, you couldn't?" Tsunade asked as she bobbed her head in relief as her knowledge about the bijuu still turned out to be true despite Naruto's outlandish claim of almost taking away a tailed beast's chakra.

"No, before I could take all of his power someone intervened," He smiled knowing that his next statement would make or break this conversation.

"Who?" Kakashi asked in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

Looking him in the eye before following it with Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shikaku and the Slug summon, he answered, "Rikudo Sennin."

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Waiting for his sister to finish Akamaru's diagnostic exam, Kiba shuffled his feet nervously. Once the debriefing had finished he had immediately come home to get his veterinarian sister to take a look at his partner. He knew his mother had likely been informed especially since one of the Haimaru triplets was missing. Dreading the talk and the verbal lashing that he was sure to follow, he concentrated on his partner as Akamaru sat in front of his sister.

As long as his partner was alright, Kiba was willing to take any kind of lambasting. He knew how close both he and Akamaru had come to death. It scared him inside to think of life without Akamaru beside him. He had thought after the Sasuke retrieval mission he wouldn't have to worry about Akamaru. They had trained hard to make sure that particular situation was never repeated and for a while they had been successful as well.

Together with Akamaru he had been able to achieve the rank of Chuunin, the missions with his team had been completed with utmost professionalism and they hadn't slacked off in their training at all. But the close call during the latest mission seemed to put all that under question. Taking a deep breath he steadied himself as his sister let go of her technique, "How is he?"

"He is fine," She said scratching the back of her patient's head, "Who healed him?"

Breathing a sigh of relief he answered, "It was Sakura."

"Tsunade-sama's apprentice?" Hana asked in interest.

"Yeah," He confirmed looking at the thoughtful look on his sister's face, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," She shrugged nonchalantly, "She is good. I don't even see a scar under his fur."

Now that he was assured of Akamaru's wellbeing, he wanted to put some distance between himself and his mother, "Come on Akamaru let's go see the team."

Before he could even take a single step out of the room, he heard the dreaded voice, "And where do you think you are going?"

It was the voice of the one person that he was trying to avoid. Considering it was his mother who was also the clan head, there was not much he could do expect take his licks. Raising his head to meet his mother's eyes he saw her partner Kuromaru alongside her staring intently at Akamaru.

"Ah…" he tried to say something but seeing the look on his mother's face he closed his mouth.

Nodding at Kiba's obedience, Inuzuka Tsume, the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan, stepped forward, "I want to hear everything about the mission, especially why you allowed Akamaru to get hurt"

"We…ah…we," he wanted to make excuses for him and his partner, though he knew that won't work on his mother. She would smell out his lies before he even got going, so giving up hope, he sighed, "We got lost in bloodlust."

Seeing his mother's thinned lips, he felt worse since it was something that he had been warned against from the beginning. When an Inuzuka pair got into a fight there was a high chance of losing themselves. It was especially true for inexperienced pairs as the ninken were more prone to lose their sense of self during a fight. At that time it was the human's responsibility to remind them of the mission.

However, since the bond between an Inuzuka ninken and ninja was so strong, it was possible that the human counterpart was affected by the ninkens increased bloodlust. In the end the result was similar to what Kiba experienced, "I made a mistake, Kaa-chan."

Watching her standing there waiting on him to tell the whole story he opened up and told her everything from the start of the mission to the time when Chouji got hurt, "After that once we had the Daimyo under our protection, Akamaru and I were asked to clear the surrounding area before the reinforcements arrived."

"And that is when I made the first mistake," he sighed in defeat, "Instead of ending it with one big technique; I used Gatsuga, to tear the ranks of the ronin."

"Were you together or separate?" Tsume asked following Kiba's silence.

"Separate…I went right and Akamaru went left. When the last ronin was left before I could do anything, Akamaru jumped to attack him."

Hearing Kuromaru's growl, Akamaru whined as he tried to make himself smaller, "And that's when he got hurt?" he asked in a barking voice.

"Yeah, I didn't expect the ronin to use chakra," Kiba shook his head in pained remembrance, "Once Akamaru went down, I lost it, almost going berserk."

"I had enough focus to perform the nail lengthening technique but other than that, I just tried to tear him apart," he said as the temperature in the room dropped further.

"I see," Tsume said with no inflection in her voice.

Flinching at her tone, he continued, "When I got close to him, I tried to use Gatsuga at close range but he hit me with his scabbard before going in for the kill as I was disoriented."

"So, what happened? You were not hurt and Akamaru's cut wasn't deep. How did you get out," The matriarch questioned in a low voice that echoed throughout the room.

"Akamaru jumped in front of me to take the blade," He said as he balled his fists to keep his emotions in check, "But Naruto deflected the blade with his bare hands."

"Naruto?" Tsume questioned his sudden appearance.

"Yeah, Sakura and he left the temple yesterday night."

Looking into his mother's eyes he steadied himself, "He came just in time to take the blade meant for me."

Watching her son as he fell silent unable to say anything else, Tsume wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright but she knew as an alpha of the Inuzuka clan she couldn't do that. Her son had made a mistake last night, whose results could have been a lot worse than a simple cut. Steeling herself she started, "What you did last night was extremely foolish. Both of you lost yourself in something that we have warned you about time and again."

"I am disappointed in you Kiba. You should have kept your mind if Akamaru couldn't, it was your responsibility," She berated them, "From tomorrow morning, you will increase your training regime and Akamaru will train with Kuromaru."

"What?" Kiba looked at his mother in surprise, "But Kaa-chan, we have always trained together."

"Yes and you almost died for it. Last time the two of you were injured during the mission to retrieve Sasuke because of your inexperience but this time you got hurt due to your stupidity."

Seeing Kiba back down from her words, she went on, "Kuromaru, will train Akamaru to stop him from losing himself, while Hana and I will work with you. Do you understand me?"

As Kiba nodded she went on, "For now, you will have dinner before going to bed. Your training starts at 5."

Looking at her brother's retreating form, Hana asked, "Did you really have to be so hard on him?"

"It needs to happen," Tsume said as she released her breath, "We went easy on him before thinking he was the runt of the litter but not anymore. They came out of it alive this time. If he loses it again there might not be a next time and I would like to avoid that at all costs."

Seeing the tension in her mother's face, Hana wanted to go and hug her but she knew it wouldn't be appreciated. Her mother was in the Clan chief mode, "I understand. At least it would be good for him to increase his repertoire."

"Yeah," The matriarch nodded as she thought about the training she was going to put him through.

"What are we going to about Naruto?" Hana asked her mother.

Tsume knew her daughter was asking about thanking the blonde haired teenager. He had saved a Clan chief's son from certain death so of course she had to reciprocate in some way, "I don't know. I will have to talk to Tsunade-sama about it first."

"We could invite him for a thank you dinner," Hana shrugged and she put the idea out there.

"Make him the guest of honor?" Tsume asked giving some thought to her daughter's idea.

"Him and Sakura, I guess," Hana added, "She did heal Akamaru after all."

"Might as well invite Kakashi then," Tsume said as she turned around to leave the clinic, "I will talk to the Hokage and see what she says. For now make sure Kiba stays at home."

Watching her mother depart, Hana shook her head at her stubbornness. She knew her mother was worried for her younger brother, especially after the close call. To be honest she was scared too feeling conflicted. On the one hand she wanted to go to her brother and hug him but she had to leave him alone so he could sort it out on his own. If one night of twisting and turning would make sure that Kiba never lost himself in a fight again, she would gladly allow it.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Sakura looked around as silence permeated the whole room at Naruto's words. She could see shock clearly written on Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shikaku's faces. The one widened eye of Kakashi was enough to let her know that he was in the same predicament, along with the slug summon's rigid stance. As the silence dragged on, Sakura could see that all of five of them were trying to process the fact that somebody in front of them claimed to have met the God of the Ninja world.

Breaking out of her reverie, Tsunade asked trying to gather her scattered mind, "Na-Naruto? What…?"

"I am not joking Baa-chan," he smiled patiently, "He really did appear out of thin air."

"Was there anything specific about him that stood out?" Jiraiya asked Naruto to elaborate on the physical attributes of the sage.

"Ah, so you have heard of him?" He looked at Jiraiya's face continuing, "If you are asking about his eyes, then they had ripple-like pattern which spreads over the eyeballs, with light purple irides and sclerae."

Keeping an eye out on Jiraiya, Tsunade saw him go down memory lane as he remembered the three kids he had trained in Amegakure for three years before coming back to Konoha. She had not seen them after the initial meeting as she and Orochimaru had returned to the village but she had listened to Jiraiya when he had talked about one of his pupils having the Rinnegan. As Jiraiya came back to the present she knew whatever doubts he had before vanished after he heard the description from Naruto.

As Jiraiya snapped out of his stupor he asked, "Did he tell you a reason for his sudden appearance?"

"Yeah, Ero-sennin," He nodded his head, "We had a long chat. I learned quite a few things about this world from him."

"As per why he appeared then?" He repeated Jiraiya's question before answering it, "It's because when the sage created the bijuu, he stored a little bit of himself in all of them. When I was absorbing Kurama's chakra he essentially came out to stop me."

"Kurama?" Shikaku questioned.

Looking at each of them he asked, "Do you all know the story of the Sage?"

"I thought he was just a myth," Kakashi answered, "I guess that's wrong if you met him."

"He was real," Naruto responded with sincerity, "As real as you and I. He was the first person to use chakra and he was the first Jinchuurki."

"What?" Kakashi asked hearing the unexpected revelation.

"Yeah…surprising isn't it?" Naruto asked with a pointed look, "The way Jinchuuriki are treated in all the villages, the one person they consider to be God was one as well."

"Anyway," He continued, "He sealed the Ten-tails within himself."

"Ten tails?" Shikaku asked.

"Yeah, he saved the world once by sealing the ten tails and on his deathbed he created the nine tailed beasts as we know them today." Naruto answered.

"Why create the nine beasts at all?" Jiraiya asked as he pondered Naruto's words.

"Because the ten tails was too strong by itself," Taking a deep breath he explained further, "He knew the ten tails would get out after he died, so the sage split it's chakra into 9 parts and hid his body on the moon."

Leaning forward he looked at all the seniors with a serious expression, "He considered the nine bijuu his children. So, he named each and everyone one of them."

"And Kyuubi's name is Kurama?" Tsunade questioned in interest.

"Yeah."

"What else did you talk about?" She asked getting over her shock.

"Well, at first I didn't want to talk to him at all, I was pretty angry especially with Sakura-chan dead," He said in embarrassment, "But then he brought her back to life in front of me."

Of course his experience with the sage had been different but he knew Rinnegan had that power considering Nagato had revived everyone in Konoha after their talk. This time he was aware that Nagato's Rinnegan was actually Madara's. Already he and Sakura were making plans to confront them.

So far everything was going according to their plan. It would have been extremely foolish of them if they released the one big advantage they had over others and that was the knowledge of the event yet to come. In order to use that to their benefit, they had devised this plan to give out information to Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Naruto didn't think there was any danger of Tsunade suspecting them of being more than they seemed considering they had both shown gradual improvements to their individual teachers. Still, it would be better if the elders were concentrated on the revelations that he knew were coming. He knew the information that they were going to release today would lead to intensive planning, which would of course divert attention away from them.

"He did what?" Tsunade gasped in astonishment.

"He is right shishou. The sage brought me back to life," Sakura intervened, "He had power over life and death to a certain extent."

Sitting back at the startling discovery, Shikaku could only shake his head at the unexpected information. To think there was a person who could bring others back to life. He was just glad that no such person existed right now otherwise the abuse of power would be too great to mention.

"That is some revelation Sakura," Tsunade sighed, "I am having a hard time believing it."

"It's not over yet, Shishou. There is still a lot more information to tell." Then looking towards Naruto she gestured for him to go on.

"Once Sakura-chan was back I calmed down as well and released Kurama's chakra," Naruto said moving the conversation along, "And that's when the sage told us about how the tailed beasts came to be."

"Did you know he was aware of what was going on in the world or at least as much as he could get from Kurama's jailors?" He asked looking at the shocked faces.

Then looking at Tsunade, he went on, "Man you should have seen his face when he talked about your grandfather and grandmother."

Blinking in surprise at the unexpected turn, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know how the sage had two sons?" Seeing their nod he continued, "Well that's how the Uchiha and Senju came to be."

"When he died, the Sage chose his second son aka Senju to be his successor because there was a sense of purity, compassion and intellect within him. The older son had intelligence but he had arrogance about him that the Sage didn't like."

"Sounds like an Uchiha," Jiraiya snorted.

"But guess what? It was Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito, the two descendants of the Sage, who created a Jinchuurki after almost millennia of their being none," He emphasized shaking his head.

Tsunade could see where Naruto was going with it, even before he said, "And if that's not all…he collected the other bijuu and gave it to other villages."

Breaking the silence that settled in at the implication Sakura politely said, "Shishou, we are not trying to embarrass your family, it's just, it is important for you to understand where we are coming from because of what's to come."

"She is right Baachan," Naruto smiled at her, "Personally, I can't judge him simply because I didn't meet him and didn't know the circumstances… but the sage was convinced that what your grandfather and grandmother did was the stupidest thing ever."

"Because they involved the tailed beasts in our wars?" Shikaku asked the reason behind Sage's anger.

"Yes, he believed that after Shodaime had wrestled Kurama out of Madara's control, he should have just let him go," Naruto said before adding, "And he wasn't too thrilled about how the villages treated the Jinchuuriki as monsters to be used as deterrents of war."

Seeing the shame in the faces in front of him he sighed, "Please raise your head. You never did anything to me. At least from my end you should be guilt free."

Seeing their thankful expressions, he brought the conversation back on topic, "After that I talked to him about how the world was in danger of war, about Akatsuki and their plans regarding tailed beasts and our training."

"Training?"

"Yeah, shishou," Sakura reminded them, "The yin and yang part of chakra, well he taught us how to manipulate it himself."

"You were taught by the creator of Ninjutsu himself?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yeah," Naruto answered showing full set of teeth in superiority.

Tsunade could only shake her head at Naruto's childishness. They were being bombarded with a lot of information that she didn't have the time to sort out. She didn't know what to think about the revelation that the Sage wasn't happy with her Grandparents decision. It was all so confusing to think right now that she put it to the side when she heard Sakura.

"Shishou," Sakura intervened to take over the conversation, "There is one important thing that you should know."

As Tsunade was just about to ask the question, Naruto leapt in, "Yeah, the Sage mediated the talk between Kurama and me," Looking at Jiraiya he continued, "It helped especially since he knew of my intention to not forcefully take his chakra."

As Jiraiya acknowledged his words, he went on, "So, Kurama and I have agreed to be partners."

"That's why I hope you can understand Baa-chan," he looked straight at her to convey his seriousness, "I promised Kurama and the Sage himself that I would do everything in my power to remove the bijuu from the balance of power."

Shocked at Naruto's proclamation, Jiraiya didn't know whether to be proud of his student or dread the path he had taken. To remove the bijuu from balance of power would cause major upheaval in the ninja world, especially considering other countries would not be so willing to give them up. He knew that even if Tsunade agreed there were a lot of people in Konoha who would object to removing the bijuu from their control.

"Naruto, do you even know what you are talking about?" Tsunade asked in shock, "Removing the bijuu from the villages is not as easy as you think."

"I know Baachan and I don't have an instant answer as to how I am going to go about it but I wanted to let you know that from now on, Kurama is not part of Konoha unless he chooses it," he emphasized as he folded his arms in front of him, "After I pass on there won't be a Jinchuurki in this village ever."

"Naruto even if I agree to this there are other factions in the village that would consider this treason." Tsunade tried to reason with him.

"As long as you understand," He emphasized, "I don't care if other factions consider this treason. You are my Hokage I follow your orders and no one else's. Once I take over I will make sure this village changes."

Seeing her trouble expression he sighed, "I know which factions you are talking about Baachan and if they give us too much trouble, I will just finish them off."

As Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shikaku and Kakashi sat back in their seats at Naruto's casual way of killing the people of Konoha, Sakura intervened to calm their fears, "Please rest easy that he won't be doing that unless provoked and even then you will be in the know."

"But Shishou, I agree with him. After meeting Kurama, I agree that we have unnecessarily involved others into our conflicts and I want to help them as well," Sakura pointed out.

Sighing Tsunade rubbed her eyes as she heard Naruto and Sakura's view regarding the tailed beasts. What they were asking for would create unnecessary complications but she could see how important it was to them, 'Of course, if I met the person considered God of the ninja world, was helped by them, I would try to reciprocate it as well.'

She knew there was only one right answer that would satisfy the both of them, "Very well, I will agree to your request but Naruto you need to promise me that you won't go out and start killing people of Konoha just because they disagree with you."

Happy at her decision he smiled freely, "Baachan, I wouldn't do that. I told you before you are my Hokage. I won't disobey your order."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto's declaration proudly, as he affirmed Tsunade's trust in him. He knew he had made the right decision in passing on his teachings.

'If they are successful in their task, the future of mankind would be bright,' he thought observing Tsunade from the corner of his eyes. He was proud of her as well because she was willing to trust Naruto and Sakura to agree to their wishes. He knew it would not be easy considering they had a big obstacle in front of them in Akatsuki but he was glad that steps were being taken to ensure a better tomorrow.

"So, you and Kurama are now working together?" Jiraiya asked getting back to the topic.

"Yeah, Ero-sennin," Naruto answered, "Kurama has agreed to work with me."

"What about the seal?"

Standing up he opened his haori pulling up his shirt to show the seal to everyone present, "It's open, though imagine my surprise when I went to open it."

Seeing as he had everyone's attention, he whispered, "And I met Yondaime and a red hair woman," Watching their shocked expressions, he uttered sarcastically, "Who apparently turned out to be my parents."

"You met them?" Kakashi asked with longing in his voice.

Watching the reaction of others Naruto could see that his parents were held in high regard. He could see the pain behind Kakashi's one eye along with a look of longing. Jiraiya had turned his face to the side in reminiscence of his student. He could see the pained visage on his teacher's face, when he mentioned his parents. Tsunade had a sad look on her face looking at Minato's picture in the Hokage's office while Shikaku's face was guarded as he watched Naruto closely, unable to believe the turn of events.

"How did you meet them?" Shikaku asked as he gazed at the pair in front of him.

"When they sealed Kurama in me, they both sealed a bit of their chakra into the seal, so that they could help me in case I lost myself and tried to open the seal," Naruto answered with a bittersweet smile.

On the one hand he was very happy that he had received a chance to spend time with his parents. It was something that he didn't have in last life but he seriously wished for more. They were his parents and he wanted to spend more time with them.

Listening through the link, Sakura recognized Naruto's train of thought. Sending her support she brought him back to the task at hand, [Hey, they are always with you, Naruto and now you know them a whole lot more. At least you were able to spend time with your mom and dad together.]

[I know Sakura-chan…I really am glad for it.]

"You met them too?" Tsunade asked Sakura after gathering herself.

"Yes," She answered smiling at the memory of meeting her in-laws, "They were both great people weren't they?"

"Yes," Jiraiya responded with fond memory, "Both of them were very good individuals. You get quite a lot of your qualities through your mother, Naruto."

"I know," He said cheerfully, "It was great to see that she loved pranks as much as I do and she had a verbal tic too."

Smiling in warm reminiscence of his meeting he looked at his teacher, "Do you have a picture of them together Ero-sennin?"

"Yeah… I do," Jiraiya replied as he started browsing through his various scrolls. Finding the picture he gave it to Naruto, "Keep it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think it would help you more."

"Thanks, Ero-sennin," Naruto conferred staring at the picture, "Man my Kaachan is so beautiful. I wish we didn't have Akatsuki's threat on us, I would have shown it to everyone."

Tsunade smiled at Naruto's antics as he talked about Kushina, "That she was but I hope you know why we didn't tell you."

"I know Baa-chan," Naruto assured her, "Tou-chan told me the reasons," then shrugging his shoulders he continued, "It can't be helped that both my parents were badass."

Hearing that everyone couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's description, apt though it was, "Badass doesn't even define them kid," Shikaku started once they had calmed down.

"There was a reason why your dad was the only one with SS-rank and flee on sight order, though Kushina wasn't far behind," He amended, "I think she was the one who helped Minato develop the seal for his signature technique."

"Yeah, you are right," Naruto nodded his head in assent, "My mother knew her seals alright. She was the one who taught dad the seal on my stomach. It is Uzumaki in origin."

"As per dad, well he was just cool after all he has been my idol for as long as I can remember," He smirked as he saw Kakashi bobbing his head in agreement.

"Well, Minato was trained by one and only," Jiraiya puffed out his chest in a dramatic fashion.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed in fond remembrance, "But what I am going to tell you now is straight from him."

When Tsunade saw Naruto's uncharacteristically serious face, she braced herself for the ground breaking information, "It's the night of my birth, the day Kurama was released from Kaa-chan's seal."

As soon as he uttered those words he knew he had their undivided attention. The events of the night of the Kyuubi attack was a mystery to all 5 of them, so they listened with utmost attention, "What you know right now is that Mom was taken some ways from Konoha so she could give birth in secret."

"They knew during childbirth the seal would be at its weakest but Tou-chan was ready for that," He looked at Jiraiya and Tsunade nodding their heads, "However, it seems someone betrayed them."

"Someone who knew that Kaa-chan's seal would be at its weakest and as soon as I was born," he gritted his teeth as he remembered Obito's role in the death of his parents, "That's when he attacked."

"He killed Sandaime's wife and held me hostage, to get Tou-chan away from Kaa-chan."

Sakura observed as the temperature of the room went down considerably due to Tsunade and Jiraiya's anger. The walls were literally shaking from the pressure of chakra waiting to be released. Before she could contemplate it any further, she heard Jiraiya ask through gritted teeth, "Who was it Naruto?"

"They didn't know, Jiraiya-sama," Sakura answered knowing Naruto was still trying to get his emotions under control, "Yondaime-sama, described him as someone wearing a mask, a spiral mask to be precise. He was able to match him and he had a more advanced Space-time Ninjutsu."

"What?" Kakashi asked stunned at hearing about someone having a more advanced Ninjutsu.

"Yes, apparently, this person could teleport anywhere without needing any kind of tags," she added thinking about what else to release, "He also had the ability to become intangible allowing the attacks to pass through him."

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked him hoping to get any information or rumours.

"I don't know, Hime," Jiraiya shook his thinking about the information, "I haven't come across anyone like that."

Meanwhile Naruto and Sakura were talking through the link, trying to decide what else they could release without compromising their story, "Also," Naruto interrupted, "Tou-chan had no proof of this… it was just his hunch but he thought the other person might have had a Sharingan."

Listening to Naruto, Shikaku blinked in surprise, as he thought about the implications of a Sharingan user, "What was his reason?"

"It was the way the other person reacted to his attacks," Naruto shrugged, "I am sure you guys know what it's like fighting someone with a Sharingan."

"After fighting Sasuke at the Valley of the End, I can tell you, I would not rule out that possibility."

"I will bet this guy is in the Akatsuki," Jiraiya muttered.

"I am sure he will be there, could be a leader as well," Naruto added his opinion, "When Tou-chan, got me out of his hands, he had to leave Kaa-chan behind and that's when this person unraveled the seal."

Seeing hardened expressions on Tsunade and Jiraiya's face, he continued, "Once Kurama got out, he controlled him and sent him to attack Konoha."

When he finished speaking the room was once again filled with silence before Jiraiya interrupted it, "Naruto, I am going to find this person and we will make him pay."

"Ero-sennin, I would like nothing better than to rip him apart myself," He growled as his hands balled into fists, "But we have to be extremely cautious. Kurama said that this person controlled him the same way that Uchiha Madara did when he fought the Shodaime."

"He doesn't know if it was Madara himself that fought Tou-chan but he didn't rule out that possibility."

"Shit!" Tsunade cursed thinking about Naruto's revelation.

"So, you see what I mean," Naruto elaborated, "If this guy really is Madara, then he has too much experience and he might know Konoha intimately."

"And even if he isn't Madara, if it's anyone with a Sharingan strong enough to control Kyuubi then it is likely that they were from Konoha as well," Shikaku added his observation.

"What a clusterfuck this is turning out to be," Jiraiya grimaced thinking about the situation.

"You got that right," Tsunade muttered, "If that bastard Madara is alive then Konoha is in serious trouble."

"Of course that's on top of this guy being extremely powerful, he can freely move around," Kakashi added listing the qualities they were aware of, "If it is him then he is not only good at lying low, he is also immortal or has some technique to either gain new bodies or slow down aging, considering he would be past 100 by now."

"That's why Ero-sennin, you have to be extremely careful," Naruto cautioned looking at Jiraiya, "If this guy is so powerful then he is already aware that you are Konoha's premier spymaster."

"You are saying he could be onto Jiraiya-sama already," Shikaku surmised Naruto's meaning.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed nodding his head, "That's why I was thinking that I will try to find information on Akatsuki along with you."

"Absolutely not," Tsunade declined staring hard at Naruto, "I will not allow you to go all over the elemental nations without backup."

"That's not what I meant," Naruto said trying to placate her with a small smile, "It was more along the lines of remote surveillance."

"Like your little device that alerted you of Akatsuki's presence in Suna?" Tsunade questioned as she remembered the illegal device that Naruto had sent to Suna without her permission.

"Device?" Shikaku questioned as this was the first time he heard anything about it.

"Apparently, the two of them constructed a seal based surveillance gadget that circles the village in the air and when something of Akatsuki's description matches, it takes photos," She explained glaring at the two people in front of her.

After hearing about it, Shikaku was a little perturbed regarding Tsunade's reaction until he realized that they must have deployed it without her permission. He knew what a pain it would turn out to be if Suna ever found out that someone from Konoha had them under aerial surveillance. The potential for disaster and a loss of ally made it a dangerous situation.

"Oh, come on Baa-chan," Naruto whined at Tsunade's glare, "We already explained that it was a test. It was designed to look like a bird that flew higher than other birds in Suna so they wouldn't have found out about it at all."

Shaking his head the casual description of the device, Shikaku could only look at Naruto in exasperation. If given to the reconnaissance unit of Konoha he was sure that they would literally drool at having something so beneficial and yet the childlike exuberance of the blonde haired kid surprised him. He couldn't fathom designing something like it when he was just fifteen, 'Though these kids are different compared to others of his age group or their own. It might be because of the threat of S-rank level ninja.'

"I can't take that chance, Naruto. As good as you are in seals the result of a failure would be catastrophic," Tsunade explained.

"Shishou, we will show you the work behind the device," Sakura placated her master, "Then you can see why we are confident about them but for now I think it would give Naruto some piece of mind if Jiraiya-sama would just be careful when finding information on Akatsuki."

"Gaki, you are 50 years too early to be worried about me," Jiraiya said looking at Naruto.

"I was named after a character written by you. My parents asked for your permission before naming me and you were missing for the first 12 years of my life," Naruto glared at Jiraiya, "So I don't care how much experience you have. I would rather you stay alive for at least the amount of time that you were away, you old fool."

"Baachan, at the very least…don't let him go alone if he ever finds out about the Akatsuki's base," Naruto pleaded with Tsunade.

Nodding her head in agreement, she said, "That I can agree with," smiling at the look of relief on his face.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Three hour later…

After a bit of lunch, the previous occupants of the Hokage's office returned to their seats to continue their discussion from before. The time away from the office had given the four senior ninja a chance to get better acquainted with the enormous amount of information that Naruto and Sakura dumped on them. Of course, it was all part of their plan in the first place. They needed to provide Tsunade and Jiraiya the relevant information to make sure Konoha was prepared for Akatsuki this time.

Naruto knew if the threat of someone like Uchiha Madara lurked in the back of Tsunade's mind then she would be more mindful of deploying Konoha's resources against Akatsuki. It would make her cautious because somebody who lived to be more than a century old especially away from the eyes of the rest of the world was very dangerous seen or unseen.

"Now that we have had our stomach's filled, it's time to get back to business," Tsunade said taking her seat as she looked at Naruto and Sakura.

"We don't have anything else to tell you regarding the training at the temple or the reason behind the attack on the capital, Shishou," Sakura disclosed fighting off a yawn.

"Then why did you guys want us back here?" Tsunade asked in confusion.

"Because Baa-chan, Sakura-chan and I wanted to discuss the situation regarding the upcoming meeting with Sasori's spy," Naruto shrugged sitting up in attention.

"You think the information is accurate?" She questioned.

"I think so…He had no reason to lie," he thought back to the fight with Sasori, "Most of all though, he was the one who gave the information."

"Yeah, Shishou," Sakura took over from Naruto, "We think the spy is most likely, Kabuto."

"Because he was the spy in Konoha?" Kakashi asked skeptically, "That's flimsy."

"Of course, we don't have any concrete evidence yet but we should be prepared for that possibility," Sakura emphasized before stating her reasons, "We don't have any background on his activities prior to meeting Orochimaru and we don't know when he met Sasori."

"Of course that's only if we assume that Kabuto is the spy," Naruto linked in Sakura's conversation.

"The main point is whether he is the spy or not I think it's safe to go by the assumption that Orochimaru is aware of him," She went on watching Tsunade's reaction.

"That's good thinking," Shikaku interrupted nodding his head, "If Orochimaru is not aware of the spy in his ranks than your job becomes a bit easier but if he is aware then it's better to be prepared."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "That's what we were thinking."

"Either way the main opponent is going to be Orochimaru," Sakura said with a definitive tone.

"And why is it certain?" Tsunade questioned.

"Because Baa-chan, it's time to take him out," Naruto said with conviction as he thought about the traitor, "We can't afford to let the Sharingan fall in his hands."

"He won't be an easy opponent to beat, Naruto," Jiraiya intoned, "I should know I have tried it multiple times already."

"Of course he won't be easy, Ero-sennin. Though against him I have one advantage over you," Seeing Jiraiya's interest he explained, "He wasn't my teammate and the interaction I have had with him does not make me see him in a favorable light…No matter the past."

"So, you are proposing to take the Snake sannin on your own?" Shikaku asked as he closely watched Naruto.

Interjecting, Sakura answered, "Actually, the two of us were thinking about killing the Snake but we can't do that without good backup."

"Essentially, we want people to keep others around Orochimaru occupied," Naruto elaborated, "We can take him out, that's not a problem."

"Don't get cocky brats," Jiraiya frowned, "Just because you were able to take down Sasori doesn't mean that you will always be successful against an S-rank opponent."

"Jiraiya-sama, we are not arrogant enough to think that. But we can't keep letting loose ends go by," Sakura bowed her head politely, "Sandaime let him go and that snake bit Konoha during the Chuunin exams."

"We can't afford such a liability with Akatsuki's threat hanging on us," Naruto intervened, "It's better to finish him off right now."

Showing her determination, Sakura stared at Tsunade with a serious expression, "We have the ability, shishou. You and Jiraiya-sama are aware of them."

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at each other listening to their students' desire. She didn't want them going after Orochimaru but she knew they had a point. As it was she there was no excuse she could come up with short of ordering them to drop their plan, "I am willing to listen to your plan. How exactly would you build the team?"

"That's simple Baa-chan," Naruto smirked, "Sakura-chan and I will take on Orochimaru, while Kakashi sensei would go after Kabuto and Ero-sennin would either capture or kill Sasuke."

"No," Tsunade declined, "I can't afford for Jiraiya to go on this mission."

"Why?" Naruto questioned.

"We need more information on Akatsuki, especially after today's revelations. He will be in the field by tomorrow."

"But Shishou, wouldn't it be better to take out one threat before focussing our resources on Akatsuki?" Sakura asked hoping to convince Tsunade to let Jiraiya join them in the mission.

"As much as I would love finish off that traitor, we can't slack off on Akatsuki side," Tsunade reasoned, "They are a much bigger threat and we need information about them."

"I don't have anyone else to get me that information." She shrugged making up her mind.

"Tsunade-sama is right," Shikaku gave his two cents in, "If you and Sakura are capable of fighting S-rank ninja then it's better for Jiraiya-sama to get onto Akatsuki."

[What do we do?] Naruto asked Sakura through the link as silence fell in the Hokage's office, [Baachan seems adamant on sending Ero-sennin.]

[If we can't get him, then I think it would be better to split during the operation,] she answered thinking about the problem.

[Should we ask for Yamato-taicho?]

Getting out of the link Sakura tried a different tactic, "Shishou, we know Akatsuki failed to get Shukaku and unless they go after the Kazekage again, which I highly doubt, I think they would target the Nibi Jinchuuriki."

"You want to go to Kumo after you are done with Orochimaru?" Tsunade raised her eye in question.

"We were thinking if Ero-sennin comes with us, we can then find more information about Akatsuki through the people who come after Nibi," Naruto supplied nonchalantly.

"Nice try kids," Jiraiya snorted, "I have to agree with Tsunade on this. We need to find if Madara is really behind the whole thing and I can't conduct an investigation with others around."

[Well, I got nothing,] Naruto sighed in the link.

[We have no other choice other than to adapt accordingly.] Sakura comforted him getting back to the situation at hand.

"Then Shishou, if that won't work, how about …"

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Returning from the capital in the night Naruto arrived in Sakura's room in her parents' house. Everything was quiet as he scanned the surrounding area, knowing that Sakura was underground finishing her part of the preparation before they left Konoha tomorrow. He hoped that their plan worked accordingly because there were a lot of factors that could go wrong and they would have a lot to answer for.

For now though he made sure the Daimyo was spending the majority of his time inside his room. Even though things were beginning to settle down in the Capital the political war was just starting. Word on the street was the High council of generals were already fighting amongst each other to become the next Daimyo, though nothing was said explicitly.

As Naruto moved downstairs, he scanned his surroundings one last time, 'For now Chiriku-san is keeping an eye out for Daimyo's safety along with the ninja that Baachan had posted.'

There might have been a few feathers that were ruffled but no one at the capital had wanted to go against the Hokage considering it was ninja's from Konoha who had kept the Daimyo safe during the attack. Since, the perpetrator of the attack had been the High General himself, everyone was keeping their heads down until the Head of the Fire country was ready to come out of his hiding.

Entering the downstairs room, Naruto saw Sakura sit back with sweat clearly visible on her face, [Sakura-chan…you okay?] he sent his feelings through the link.

Sighing, Sakura looked at the peaceful faces of her parents, [I am alright, Naruto. It's just…]

Seeing her unable to say anything, Naruto moved behind her sitting on his knees as he held her, [They are still your parents…you are still their daughter.]

[I know,] Sakura leant back putting her weight against him, [I know that but it still feels like a part of me is betraying them.]

[Then let's not do this,] Naruto said as he looked down into his wife's eyes, [There's no point in doing this if we are going to regret it in the future.]

Shaking her head she sent her love to him, [No, Naruto. It might not be the best thing to do but it's much better than the alternative.]

[Upheaval in the capital will cause a lot more damage and too much distraction at such a crucial time,] she explained through the link, [Since we hid Isoku, we don't know how Obito is going to react and we need to worry about that more than whether the Daimyo will survive or not.]

[But Sakura-chan, if you are second guessing yourself, then I don't want to go through it,] he held on to her tighter, showing his support.

[Of course, I am second guessing myself. It's very important that we do. I might be mentally older than them but they are my parents and I do feel responsible for them,] she explained.

[What we are planning will change a lot of things, especially my relationship with them,] looking at her parents she smiled slightly, [But they will be alive and well. Moreover, they will have security around them.]

[And, it not like you are forgetting about them or anything,] Naruto added after her.

[Yeah, so it's fine.]

Sitting in silence, Naruto peeked at Sakura's thoughts, [You are worried,] he stated.

[I am,] she replied thinking, [What we are doing is not a whole lot different than Danzo or Madara's doing.]

For a few seconds he didn't say anything contemplating her assertion, [You might be right, Sakura-chan. If it ever comes out we would be hated.]

[But you don't see it that way.]

[Yeah, I don't. Yes, we are controlling people but you and I both know the Daimyo won't survive on his own,] he sent through the link, [This way our manipulation is making sure that he survives, his court is stable while we make sure that our goals are met.]

Continuing his explanation he sent through the link, [Danzo would have killed the Daimyo and installed a puppet of his choice and I don't even want to know what sick plan Madara or Obito would have come up with.]

[We did lie to Shishou though.]

[Of course but what else is there to do? We are making sure that Konoha receives the information about Akatsuki on time while taking care of the rats at home.]

Exhaling the breath she was holding, she said tiredly, [This will only get harder from now on.]

Turning her around he kissed her forehead, [Sakura-chan we already knew that, even before we started.]

[I know…I am just worried that we might be manipulating others to our idea of the 'Greater good.']

[Haven't we already struggled with that? Anytime someone has power and they are trying to change the rules, they are imposing their will on others.]

[Yeah…but usually there are others beside you that believe in the same things as you that brings about the change,] She replied thinking about it, [What we are doing is amassing power without letting anyone know.]

Not saying anything, Naruto sat in silence for a while, [What else is there to do? Telling Baa-chan and Ero-sennin about the future won't change anything. We would still have to deal with the problem in the capital.]

Shaking his head he brought her closer to him, [I don't know what else to do Sakura-chan. I don't see how telling others about us having already lived through this would help.]

[Yeah…Once we tell the secret, we lose our advantage,] Clearing her head she said, [Forget it, Naruto. I am just being stupid.]

[No,] shaking his head, he assured her [It's good that you are questioning our decisions. It would make sure that we always remember our core reasons for doing this.]

Looking her in the eyes, he stared at the green orbs that looked at him with such love taking his breath away. Bending his head he captured her lips as he held her tightly. Feeling her body against him, he felt his heart speed up as time came to a standstill. Losing himself as he breathed in her scent wanting to make love to her as his hormones went into overdrive. Before he could fully lose himself, Sakura broke the kiss taking a step back.

Breathing deeply she replied, [We need to get a good night's rest,] getting her breath under control she touched his cheek, [We only slept for 4 hours yesterday. I don't want us to suffer tomorrow.]

[You are right,] he sighed breathing deeply, [It's just so hard Sakura-chan. You are so beautiful.]

Smiling at his sweet words she stood on her toes giving him a quick peck on the lips, [Just wait a little. We will make our first time in this world special. For now though, let's move my parents to their bedroom and get some shut eye.]

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Getting up in the morning, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. Looking around he tried to gather himself taking in his surroundings. Feeling a weight on his side he saw Sakura's form beside him with his left arm around her shoulder. Relaxing back, Naruto looked outside the window as he observed the dark sky. They had four days to get to Tenchi Bridge and kill Orochimaru. Of course, they already knew that Kabuto was the spy and Orochimaru was already aware of it. He just hoped that Kakashi would take that under consideration when they left Konoha. With that thought in mind Naruto woke up Sakura leaving for his apartment to get ready.

At 8 in the morning Kakashi walked into Ichiraku's to find Naruto guzzling down ramen as if it was the last time he would eat it. Beside him sat Sakura who was eating hers' at a more civilized pace. Watching Naruto finish his ramen, he called out before another order could be made, "I think you have had enough for now," he pointed towards the stack of bowls alongside his student.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," Naruto frowned as he look at Kakashi, "What are you doing here so early?"

"I wouldn't be late for such an important mission, Naruto," Kakashi replied with amusement.

"He is just scared that Tsunade-sama would have his hide if he was late for this mission," Sakura intruded smirking at Kakashi's grimace.

Naruto chuckled as he paid for his and Sakura's ramen, "Teuchi-san, thank you for the ramen. It was great."

"You are welcome, Naruto. When you come back from the mission I will give you one free ramen on the house," Teuchi yelled back from the kitchen.

"Woohoo, you are the best," He turned around to go after Kakashi and Sakura, "Bye Ayame-neechan."

"Bye Naruto-kun," Ayame smiled, "And good luck with your mission."

Nodding his thanks he left Ichiraku catching up with Kakashi and Sakura just as they reached the front gate. Sensing Yamato's presence hidden in the trees he didn't say anything. He knew Sakura and Kakashi were already aware of him. It was the other presence that surprised Naruto. He didn't expect him to join in this mission considering they already had Kakashi and an extra member ready to go.

[I didn't expect Sai to be here,] Naruto said matter of fact.

[Danzo has an unexpected hold of the advisors,] Sakura thought darkly.

[That damn Homura and Koharu, better not interfere,] Naruto contemplated ominously, [Those old relics need to be put in their place.]

[We can't do anything to them,] Sakura warned, [We will deal with them as we go along.]

Naruto knew that Sakura was right though it pissed him to not do anything to the two advisors. Both of them were old and most of the time made their decisions from fear or pride of making sure Konoha remained on top. The worst part was the amount of political capital both of them had amassed. That is why it was not easy for Tsunade to refuse them outright. However, in all this political mess the most dangerous player was Danzo.

They were both aware that Danzo had Uchiha's Sharingan and Hashirama's wood implanted in his arm. He was alarming not only because of his militaristic views but due to his desire to become Hokage. They knew he was the kind of person who would do anything to achieve that goal, which was why he was one of the people they were extremely cautious off.

"So?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, "What's the delay?"

"Waiting for other members," Kakashi replied as he leaned against a tree.

"They are already here," Naruto whispered raising his head to the sky.

Before Kakashi could reply, Sakura cut in, "They want to test us?"

"Hmm," Kakashi replied nonchalantly in a bored tone.

"And you are allowing it?" Sakura asked with a dangerous edge to her voice, "Why?"

"Calm down, Sakura. They don't know you… if they want to test you, who am I to say no?"

As Kakashi finished speaking, Naruto sensed an attack at his back. Even without turning around he knew it was the Great beast false image Ninjutsu. Sending a powerful slice of wind he cut through the beasts as they dissolved in ink, while the strike continued towards the attacker. As a tree branch fell to the ground, a ninja with his midriff exposed landed near them.

Naruto and Sakura didn't say anything as they watched the person stand up, "Sorry about that. I just wanted to gauge the ability of my new team."

With their faces blank both of them just observed while on the inside, Naruto couldn't help but remark through the link, [He said something similar the last time.]

[Well he was never the most original,] Sakura replied inwardly smiling at seeing Sai.

Turning around and facing the other direction, Sakura looked straight at Yamato, "Have you seen enough or should I give you a demonstration as well?"

Right after her words Yamato appeared in front of them, "There is no need. I saw everything I wanted to see."

"Good because I wouldn't have been as nice as him," Sakura replied pointing towards Naruto.

"Okay then," Kakashi said as he closed his book with a snap, "Before we leave here, I think introductions are in order."

"Well why don't you go first," Kakashi pointed at Sai, "considering we have all met before."

"Of course," he smiled, "My name is Sai."

"I am Yamato."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Haruno Sakura."

"And I am Hatake Kakashi," he said with a thumb pointed towards him, "The leader of this mission."

Looking at each of them Kakashi focussed on Yamato and Sai, "You have already been informed about the premise of this mission?"

Both of them nodded in assent as Yamato replied, "Yes, Senpai…Tsunade-sama informed me that we are supposed to capture Akatsuki's spy under Orochimaru and bring him here for interrogation."

"That is the official mission, however it is not the real mission behind this operation," he supplied watching them tense as they waited for him to elaborate.

"Our objective for this mission is two-fold," Naruto intervened as he gained their attention, "The primary mission is to kill Orochimaru, while the secondary mission is to either bring Sasuke back. However, if he puts our lives in danger then we have permission to kill him."

"What?" Yamato asked in shock hearing about the mission parameters.

"Yeah," Sakura added in, "We are going by the assumption that Orochimaru is already aware of the spy."

"Of course, we have no proof of this," Kakashi took over, "But based on his personality traits we think it's an accurate assumption to make."

Gathering himself Yamato looked at Sai, who had no expression on his face except for the creepy smile, "Then do you have any information on this spy?"

"This time we have absolutely no proof of this at all, except for a hunch that it might be Yakushi Kabuto," Kakashi shrugged, "It could be someone else as well."

"I see."

"So, for this mission Sakura and Naruto will take on Orochimaru," Kakashi saw surprise on both Yamato's and Sai's faces, "While the three of us will make sure there is no interference. If we happen to find Kabuto and Sasuke, then Yamato you will take on Kabuto while Sai and I will take on Sasuke."

"Kakashi-sensei, are you sure?" Naruto asked in concern.

Kakashi looked at Naruto seeing apprehension in his students' eyes, "I am sure. He was my student and I need to see for myself."

"That's all fine sensei," Sakura cut in, "But make sure you don't choke up at the last minute like Sandaime."

"I won't," Kakashi replied with determination, "I have already prepared myself for that eventuality."

Seeing Sakura's nod of understanding, Kakashi looked at all the assembled shinobi, "I think that's enough for now. When we near the Tenchi Bridge we will go through different scenario's to familiarize ourselves with each other's techniques. For now let's leave."

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><p>***OMT***<p>

**_So ends another chapter. Lots of talking here but next chapter we have the long awaited confrontation. Hopefully I did it justice. It might seem like a recap at some points but I thought it needed to be said. Well, I am going to go take a rest. Typing the author's note took a lot out of me so see you after my surgery. Hopefully it will go well._**

**_Thanks once again for reading and please leave a review._**


	8. Win some,Loose some

**_Hey guys…Thank you for the reviews. _**

**_I am back from my surgery and now time for physiotherapy. For now things are looking good but I will find out in time whether I truly have the dexterity back or not. So, thank you for your kind words and prayers. I really appreciate it. _**

**_I am happy the last chapter was received so well. I was nervous about that one. Of course I am nervous about this one as well because I didn't type this one. I took advice from lordamnesia in one of his reviews and tried out Dragon Naturally speaking. It is a dictation software and that's how this chapter was completed. So, please forgive any blatant errors. If you would let me know any discrepancies I would be more than willing to change them._**

**_This chapter has the long awaited fight so I hope you guys are all satisfied. I went through several different scenarios but settled on this one because it didn't make anyone look weak or have Naruto and Sakura breezing through the fight. I don't have anything else to say except thank you once again to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. To the new readers welcome._**

**_As always, please leave a review. _**

**_Link talk: […] (Bracket use)_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or David Weber's book. There is no money being made here even though I desperately need it. This is only being done due to the enjoyment of the world created by Kishimoto, even though now days I am kind of annoyed at the direction the story is going. Maybe he would finally show fights between people who are alive rather than dead ones coming back to life. Ah well…what do I know I am just a fan._**

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Konoha...

Dropping down from the top of the Hokage's tower Jiraiya stepped on the landing outside Tsunade's office. Facing the village he looked at the faces on the Hokage's mountain, something that filled him with pride and pain at the same time, considering his teacher and student were both part of the memorial. Still it was a symbol of hope for the village and he was proud that his teammate was part of the legacy left by her grandfather. Taking one last look around he turned to open the window of the main office but the look on Tsunade's face stopped him in his tracks.

He knew whatever she was thinking about must be serious considering she didn't even shift at his presence. For her to forget about her surroundings meant she was distracted. Stepping forward he opened the window and stepped on the sill, "Hime, are you still thinking about yesterday?"

Snapping out of her thoughts hearing the sliding window, she closed her eyes gathering herself, "You are ready to leave?"

"Yeah," Jiraiya smiled stepping inside, "And you are dodging."

"What else is there to do?" She sighed.

Chuckling at her words he closed the window taking a seat in front of her, "I see a lot of papers lying about," he pointed towards her desk.

"I will give it to Shizune to do it later."

Looking at her disgust at all the papers Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh, "I feel sorry for her."

"Nah, builds character," Tsunade uttered her mouth twitching to keep from laughing.

"So, what's really worrying you, hime?"

"What else? The information dump we got yesterday."

Nodding his head he got up from his seat looking at the village, "It's a little hard to believe them isn't it?"

"Yeah," She sighed closing her eyes, "Too much happened at once. I just haven't had a chance to fully comprehend it."

"I know...I couldn't sleep last night at all," Jiraiya tsked in annoyance, "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that both of them met Rikudo sennin himself."

"That was…," Tsunade trailed off shaking her head, "Your previous student in Amegakura with the Rinnegan made it a bit easier to swallow, I guess,"

Thinking back on his students in the village hidden in the rain, he wondered how they were. He hoped they were alright but he hadn't heard anything about them in quite a while so the possibility of them being alive was low. Still one of them possessed the Rinnegan so there was hope within him that at least one of them might be alive.

"That was a lot easier to accept, then hearing about Naruto and Sakura meeting 'The Sage' himself," He said stretching his neck.

"You don't believe them?" Tsunade observed him with narrowed eyes.

When Jiraiya didn't speak for a few seconds, she got worried. Thinking through the conversation from yesterday, she could see that things were jumbled together but there was nothing there to give her any reason to suspect them. Knowing she couldn't leave it since it would fester and spread suspicion, she hesitantly called out, "Jiraiya…?"

Looking at her through the corner of his eyes, he saw her confusion, "I do," he assured her, "They have given no reason not to."

Tsunade nodded listening to Jiraiya's reasoning. They were ninja's dealing with information was their business but one of the first things that was ingrained into them was to be careful. Especially when receiving new information that they did not get first hand. It was a sad part of their life that they thought their apprentices might be suspicious but that was how things work in their world.

"I was thinking the same thing," She conceded, "I think it's just, a lot of things happened suddenly within the span of a week."

"That's not it hime," He shook his head, "I have no problem with their description of what happened in the capital, I can even believe that both of them met Minato and Kushina."

"However," looking at her pointedly, "I…just find it hard to believe that they met 'The sage'."

"You think they might have been hallucinating?" She questioned, "Or Genjutsu?"

Sighing he returned to his seat, "If they are to be believed then both of them were trapped inside a barrier along with a monk. Who would put them in a Genjutsu?"

"And they are both damn good at recognizing the mind arts," Tsunade finished Jiraiya's answer.

"That they are," He dipped his head, "And if they were hallucinating then what a nice coincidence that both of them saw the same thing or should I say someone?"

"Their story and their reasoning doesn't follow the criteria of collective hallucination," She said talking to herself.

"That's what I thought," Jiraiya conceded.

"Is it really so hard to believe that they might have met the creator of Ninjutsu?"

"No, it really is not. It's never been out of the realm of possibility."

"Then?" She asked, "You are worried that…?"

"Naruto was in the middle of all the events," Jiraiya finished the unspoken words, "He is slowly being put in the middle of affairs that 3 years ago seemed far away."

"Maybe he is the person you were talking about?" Tsunade said tentatively.

"Maybe…" Jiraiya admitted, "He certainly took my teachings to heart."

Watching the proud smile on her teammate's face warmed her heart. It was promising to know that Naruto had taken on the mantle that Jiraiya had been trying to teach the world. The problem with Jiraiya was that he bound by the stigma of being a Sannin and one of the powerful ninja's of Konoha. So, his duties led him to do things he did not want to. She knew about it of course but there was no other choice. They couldn't leave things open for their enemies to take advantage of them.

"He will make a great Hokage, Tsunade-hime," He said smiling.

Concurring with his statement, Tsunade's thoughts drifted to the blonde haired kid she had met 3 years ago, "That he will."

Leaving behind the memories, she came to the present as Jiraiya remarked, "Your apprentice certainly is not far behind."

Thinking on Sakura, she couldn't help but feel proud of her accomplishments. The little girl from 3 years ago had come a long way since she was on a mission to kill Orochimaru, the S-rank traitor of Konoha, "Yeah, you are right."

"Both of them have come a long way in a very short time," She smiled.

"They will both surpass us, hime," Jiraiya grinned.

"I hope so Jiraiya," Taking a long breath to calm herself, "I really hope so."

Observing her face, he could tell that she was worried and maybe a little scared for the two teenagers. He could understand as both of them were going after not only their third teammate but Jiraiya and Tsunade's as well. He knew the plan discussed yesterday especially since he had personally made changes wherever he thought they could.

'Hopefully, both of them will remember their training when facing Orochimaru," His thoughts concentrated on his apprentice. He knew Naruto had a short fuse but the training certainly had paid off in that regard, considering he now made plans before rushing in a fight. He seriously hoped that Naruto remembered to keep a cool mind. Orochimaru had a tendency to get inside people's heads so he really wanted Naruto to think before fighting the snake. He was glad that Sakura was with Naruto, 'At least she would be able to keep him in line.'

Shaking his head he found Tsunade deep in thought. He had a general idea about her state of mind, "She is fine, Hime."

Noticing her getting out of her thoughts, he went on, "You checked her yourself. You gave her the ok for the mission."

Remembering the news of her apprentice's death she shuddered releasing her breath to center herself, "I know."

Looking at her concerned face he chuckled breaking her out of her reverie, "You know she broke your curse."

"What?" Tsunade asked confused.

Smiling at her he tilted his head, "If Naruto is to be believed… and I believe him then your apprentice died," He saw her intake of breath, "But she came back."

"She came back from the clutches of the Shinigami, himself," He grinned as he saw her widened eyes, "Do you realize what this means?"

He kept going at her surprised expression, "Naruto broke your curse surviving against Kabuto when we went to get you. And now your apprentice has smashed it to pieces."

Hearing his words Tsunade couldn't help the tears of happiness that fell from her eyes. She didn't think about it before but Sakura's rebirth of sorts gave her pause. She had come back alive after being dead. Naruto had confirmed that she was dead and Sakura herself remembered passing on. Before she could contemplate the ramifications, Jiraiya interrupted her, "Hime, I will say it again. Your apprentice came back once and she has gone out again."

Taking a deep breath she thanked Jiraiya through her eyes, "So, now it's my responsibility to believe that she will come back."

He simply nodded his head firmly, "They are taking on this world on their terms. What more can you ask for?"

Getting up from his seat, he moved towards the window, "I have taught Naruto everything I could and I know you have done the same with Sakura," turning his head towards her he smiled, "So have faith in them. They will be back."

Seeing Jiraiya was ready to leave for his mission, Tsunade got up as well, "And you?"

"I will be back before you know it," He grinned showing his teeth, "And we will celebrate the passing of Orochi-teme with a drink or two."

"Till then keep me in your thoughts too, hime." He winked leaping out of the window.

Watching him disappear mid-air, Tsunade smiled at her teammate. He knew how to cheer her up every single time she was in a funk. Shaking her head at Jiraiya brashness, she took a deep breath in the clean air of the day. Then closing the window she turned around and went to her desk. With renewed determination, she knew it was time for her to get back to work especially since she wanted to enjoy her drinks when Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya came back from their missions.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

3 days later…

Izumo and Kotetsu could only shake their heads in wonder at the arrival of a carriage at the gates of Konoha. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem for them considering Madam Shinji or other officials usually came to the village in them. However, with the recent attack on the capital they didn't think anyone higher up would be willing to leave. So they could only gape in wonder as the Daimyo of the Fire Country stepped off the carriage along with Madam Shinji and asked to be escorted to the Hokage's office.

"Ah…ri-right away, Daimyo-sama," Izumo stuttered as he got out of the shelter at the gate.

Elbowing Kotetsu, who was frozen on the spot, he bowed politely moving towards the array in the outpost to inform the ANBU guarding the Hokage. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he cleared his head remembering the sequence needed to inform the appropriate departments of the Daimyo's arrival. Before he could activate it the Daimyo spoke, "Ninja-san, are you sending out word of our arrival?"

Nodding his head he replied, "Yes, sir. If you would please wait a moment, I just need to send out the signal and village officials will soon join us."

"Then may I request to only inform the Hokage as I don't need the rest of the village to know of my presence here yet." The Daimyo said with uncharacteristic seriousness.

Kotestsu moved his head back and forth as his partner and the Daimyo talked. He could see the hesitation on Izumo's face as the Daimyo finished speaking. It was an unorthodox request though calling it a request was a mistake as coming from the Daimyo it was similar to an order. But they were ninja sworn to the Hokage of Konoha and even though the Daimyo was technically above the Hokage, the demand for direct invitation to the Hokage's office was a little out of their comfort zone.

Still they had a task to perform, so looking around the shelter he saw ANBU surrounding the carriage. They must have been keeping an eye out as the Daimyo neared the Konoha entrance. Clearing his throat to get their attention, Kotetsu replied, "Of course sir. If you don't want any else informed then would you mind if I called ANBU? They answer to the Hokage so they could take you to her quietly."

"Of course, that would be appreciated."

"Right away sir," He bowed his head as he moved out of the shelter leaving a confused Izumo behind. Gaining some distance away from the carriage Kotetsu made a signal as a purple haired ANBU with a cat mask appeared in front of him. Explaining the situation to her he waited for her to contact the Hokage.

Informing the Hokage of the sudden arrival of the Head of the Fire country, the purple haired kunoichi moved towards the Daimyo. Bowing she greeted him, "Daimyo-sama, Madam Shinji, Hokage-sama has been informed of your arrival. If you would please follow me, I will take you to her."

"Thank you, ANBU-san. Please lead the way," Madam Shinji replied as she and husband followed the cat masked ANBU.

Taking note of the two nobles walking with her, Uzuki Yuugao could see the tension in their steps. Aware of the attack on the capital along with the death of the Crown Princess of the Fire country, she was surprised to find them in Konoha so soon. Looking at the Daimyo she noticed the way he was clutching the scroll in his hands as if it was his lifeline. She knew the Daimyo was in a precarious position without an heir due to the threat his administration was under.

'He might just be here asking for permanent guards now that his life is in danger,' she thought absentmindedly even as she noted that they had arrived in the underground chamber of the Hokage's tower. She had made sure that they had taken the hidden routes around Konoha keeping the Daimyo's request in mind.

Reaching the Hokage's door, she knocked in a specific pattern to let the Tsunade know of her presence. Once she received an answer she opened the door and stepped aside to allow the nobles to enter.

"Thank you, ANBU-san," The Daimyo said as he entered the room along with his wife.

"Of course, sir, ma'am," Neko replied as she bowed to the nobles.

Observing the Daimyo of the land as he entered her office, Tsunade could tell immediately that something was wrong. Usually the man was a weak fool who was easily swayed by his advisors but he knew his station and acted with the conduct befitting of a Daimyo. However, right now the same person had arrived at Konoha's doorstep unannounced and if she was reading the situation correctly was scared for his life.

Knowing that he probably came to her to most likely ask for additional security, she got up from her seat, "Daimyo-dono, what are you two doing here?"

"Hokage-dono, please excuse our intrusion but we have something very urgent to discuss with you." The Fire Daimyo spoke with as much confidence he could muster.

Looking at the worried expressions on their faces, Tsunade knew she had no other choice but to listen to them. Turning towards the cat masked ANBU she dismissed her, "You can go now."

"Hokage-sama," she replied bowing her head before exiting the room, closing the door behind her.

Once alone in the room with the two nobles she invited them to sit, "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you, Tsunade-san not at the moment," The Daimyo declined as he looked around the room, "Are we alone in here?"

Raising her eyebrow at the question, she nodded her head, "Yes, considering this is my office. It's one of the most secure places in the village."

"I see," he mumbled, "then would you mind raising a privacy barrier, just in case."

Tsunade straightened her back at the noble's request. She wasn't sure what the Daimyo's game was but short of kicking the two of them out she had no other choice but to listen. Hoping that whatever they meant to say did not give her a headache, especially considering she was still reeling from Naruto and Sakura's revelations, she asked, "May I ask why?"

"It's important, Hokage-dono," Madam Shinji answered, "The future of the Fire country depends on it."

Releasing her breath, Tsunade looked at the two in front of her. She could see it in their postures that even though they were scared they really were trying to hold themselves together. Trying to come up with something that they could have that would seem harmful to the future of the Fire Nation she couldn't come up with anything short of the Daimyo selling out his country. Still she had a duty to perform so without delay she sent her chakra into the seal on her desk raising a barrier around the room.

"There, it's done," Looking at them relax a little she asked, "Now what exactly are you two doing here?"

"Ah…yes," Gathering himself the Daimyo looked straight at her, "We are here for something very important."

Seeing her attention, he elaborated, "You know how the Crown is heirless right now...Well we are here to change that."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Nara Shikaku was sitting on his front porch looking up at the sky. It had been three days since Naruto and Sakura had relayed their story and it was still troubling him. The revelations had been surprisingly deep and connected to the safety of the ninja world. It was a testament to the two ninja that they didn't seem scared of the task at hand.

For him the briefing had turned out to be an eye-opener, especially the revelation about the Sage of the six paths. For two kids to be taught by him was a dream and a privilege for shinobi around the world. It was ironic that of the two people bestowed the gift one was an orphan while the other was from a civilian family.

'So much for the superiority of the clan,' Shikaku scoffed thinking about the posturing of the clans especially in Konoha.

The topic of clans reminded him of the other revelation that Yondaime himself dispatched through Naruto. The news about an Uchiha with a space-time Ninjutsu more advanced than the Fourth scared Shikaku. He had worked with Minato when he became Yondaime so he knew the power he was capable of wielding. For someone to get the better of him was a troubling thought, especially if the person turned out to be Uchiha Madara.

Interrupting his train of thought, he heard his son stop near him, "So, what did Godaime say? Can you talk about it yet?"

Taking a deep breath, Shikaku looked at his son, "Shikamaru, do you consider Naruto to be your friend?"

Blinking in surprise at the unorthodox question, Shikamaru sat on the ground lazily, "What do you mean?"

"Troublesome," He uttered at his father's lack of reply, "We have a friend thing going," He replied awkwardly.

"I see," Shikaku inwardly scoffed at his son's reply, 'Friend thing huh.'

Looking back up at the night sky, Shikaku asked, "Then do you believe he is capable of achieving his goal?"

Sighing at the twisted questions his father put him through Shikamaru closed his eyes, "Does it really matter what I believe? It's up to him to achieve his goal."

"Hmm…" Shikaku intoned, "What if I told you that it is not entirely up to him?"

When nothing else came forward Shikamaru thought about his words, "You are saying he can't do it alone."

"Yeah, his dream is not an easy one," he yawned sleepily, "Most of all though he can't do it alone."

"So what? You want me to support him or something?"

"That would be up to you," He replied, "What I am asking is your opinion on whether you think Naruto can become Hokage?"

Releasing a tired sigh, Shikamaru looked at his father, "When we were twelve, I had a hard time believing it but…since he came back, it doesn't seem out of his reach."

Opening his eyes, Shikaku looked his son with all the confidence he could muster, "I think he can become Hokage. I think he can surpass all the previous ones."

Blinking in disbelief at his father's declaration, Shikamaru shook his head, "Isn't it a bit too early for that?"

"Might be," Shikaku agreed.

"Why are you telling me this?" Shikamaru asked with uncharacteristic seriousness.

"Because when the time comes for your generation to take the mantle and protect this village, I hope you make the right decision."

"And I should choose Naruto?"

"No," Shikaku shook his head, "You should choose who you feel will be right for you. After all you will be serving that person."

Feeling tired due to his father's word games Shikamaru sighed, "Then why tell me that?"

"You need to figure it out on your own," Shikaku replied going back to star gazing.

As silence settled around the two Nara's both of them were lost in their thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, Shikaku started, "Have you heard about Akatsuki?"

"The organization after Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"We got some important information from Naruto and Sakura," Looking at his son he explained further, "Tsunade-sama hasn't released it yet and I don't think she will either."

"It's that important?"

"Yeah," the Nara head replied with narrowed eyes, "It could be the difference between winning and losing."

"This organization is that dangerous," Shikamaru asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, one of the most dangerous in the world," Shikaku nodded, "What they are doing could lead to the Fourth World war."

Shikamaru sat back with surprise clearly written on his face. After the war during the Chuunin exams, he didn't want to see another one but the way his father was talking about the situation it might as well be inevitable.

Thinking about it a little he asked, "Is Naruto the only one who can stop it?"

"No," Shikaku replied, "Alone he won't be able to do anything."

Suddenly remembering the two teenagers in the Hokage's office taking everything in stride, he amended, "Then again…he is not alone is he?"

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked in confusion even as he tried to find the hidden meaning behind his father's words.

"His teammate, Haruno Sakura is there every step of the way."

"I see," Shikamaru replied thinking about Sakura, "You think both of them have the power to stop Akatsuki."

"They both have the power to change the world," Shikaku corrected.

Getting the gist of his father's words, Shikamaru gazed up at the night sky. He knew the position of Hokage was not something a person acquired based on strength alone. Other people especially shinobi had to help them get in power. As the Daimyo's recommendation only appointed the candidate, the person still needed Jounins approval to become Hokage. It would be the same for Naruto when it was his time to apply and then his peers would have to make the decision.

'The Question is whether I would want a Hokage like Naruto?' He thought as he remembered Naruto saving Akamaru's life.

"Yeah, I get what you are saying," He shrewdly looked at his father.

"Good…I expected nothing less," Shikaku ignored him, getting up, "Tomorrow morning we increase your training."

Watching his father's back walking into the house Shikamaru could only mutter, "Troublesome," going towards his room.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Tsunade could only raise her eyebrow in question, hearing the Daimyo's declaration about getting an heir. It was bad enough that he had come to Konoha unannounced creating a headache for her since she would have to make sure he was protected. Worse if someone from Konoha found out about the presence of the Head of the Fire country it would raise alarm in the capital. Considering the crown was heirless at the moment it would seem like the Hokage was somehow controlling the Daimyo.

Seeing no other way out Tsunade asked, "And how exactly are you going to get an heir?"

"Ah…There is a bit of a story to tell," He replied breathing a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Tsunade might have thought that he was there to beg for his life. In a way it was true, since his days at the capital were numbered without someone to take over the throne.

Listening to the Hokage's tone he knew she thought that he was there to ask for protection to cook up a scheme to keep his seat. Luckily for him he wouldn't have to give up his seat and allow her to rule the country from the shadows.

"I am listening," Tsunade interrupted his thought process.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, he took a deep breath, "As you are aware my daughter was killed during the attack on the capital."

"As such it should come as no surprise to you that my advisors are already bickering about choosing a new Head of the Fire Country," He continued with narrowed eyes.

Tsunade didn't say anything as she listened to her guest go on. There was no need for any justification on her part. She knew a great number of things about the capital considering she was the Hokage. One such thing was to understand that no matter how weak willed the man seemed while making decisions, when it came time to save his hide he would do whatever was required.

Suspending her train of thought, she was brought back to reality as her guest continued, "Well we can prevent it…thanks to my son."

"The Crown Prince?" Tsunade asked in surprise.

She knew it was taboo to speak about the Crown Prince in front of the Daimyo and his wife. Both of them were hit hard due to his death. His name didn't come up often because the story was old now and in the grand scheme of things it was unimportant. Royalty died every day in the ninja world so it was nothing new, though the presence of the Crown Princess certainly helped to make the blow easier.

No matter how many times it was repeated, everyone knew that Monarchy's do not last without an heir. As long as one heir was present, everything was fine even if the heir was a daughter. Though the Princess would not be able to sit on the throne, everyone knew that when the time came for the Daimyo to pass on, the husband would be the first in line to keep the throne in the family until the next generation was ready. Observing the two people in front of her Tsunade came out of her reverie as the head of her country expounded on it.

"Yes," The Daimyo answered with a sigh, "Everyone knows that we lost our son 15 years ago."

Seeing her nod he smiled self-deprecatingly, "And apparently what was supposed to be an accident now turns out to be murder."

"The High General admitted to it?" Tsunade questioned.

"Yes…we found out before coming here," Having Tsunade's attention he got back to the topic at hand from the painful reminder of the loss of his son, "Few months before his death my son sired a child."

Hearing his admission Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the conversation, "I had heard rumors."

Staring at the table in front of him he released his breath, "That will make it a bit easier."

"So, the child wasn't born dead, I presume." She said in a matter of fact tone.

"No, that is what we wanted everyone to believe," Madam Shinji cut in with hard eyes.

Listening to the wife of the Daimyo, Tsunade back tracked her thought process. When the Daimyo had arrived at her office she thought he wanted to ask for protection until he was able to provide an heir. In hindsight she should have reconsidered considering he brought his wife with him. Since Madam Shinji was too old to conceive again, the Daimyo would have to choose another bride which would require his current wife to die an untimely death.

However, she would never have predicted the way this conversation was going. She was not naïve enough to think that the two people in front of her were trying to find their lost grandchild. They wouldn't have even considered this if their own life wasn't in danger. Leaving aside the selfishness of the head of her country, Tsunade had a hard time believing the sheer timing of the whole thing.

'For me to not be aware of a child with royal blood in them,' Tsunade thought angrily. There was something fishy here, nothing more so than the sudden existence of the Daimyo's family heir. She knew most of the kids produced out of wedlock with royal blood were killed immediately to avoid scandal so for one to survive had to have a secret behind it.

Getting back to the discussion, she intoned, "I see."

Not giving them a chance she pinned both of them with her gaze, "And why was this child not removed?"

Sweating a little the Daimyo took a deep breath, "We wanted to…but by the time we found out, the birth had already taken place and the Crown Prince had made a bond with the child."

"So?" Tsunade asked keeping emotions out of her voice.

"He took the child to Hiruzen," Daimyo shrugged uncomfortably.

Blinking in surprise at the unexpected mention, Tsunade asked, "Sensei?"

"Yes," nodding his head he continued, "At the time Hiruzen was in the capital as a representative for the Yondaime."

Seeing Tsunade wait for him, he removed his headgear before continuing, "My son begged Hiruzen to take the child with him away from the Capital."

"And sensei agreed to this?"

Madam Shinji cut in with a disapproving smile, "Yes, he took pity on the Crown Prince."

"Must have been some words to move the Kami no Shinobi, himself," Tsunade intoned.

"It was a father's plea for a child's life," Madam Shinji answered thinking back to the time.

"And he brought the child to Konoha?" She asked with a perfectly raised eyebrow in question.

Closing his eyes to ward of the headache, the Daimyo steadied himself thinking about the absurdity of the moment. Never before had he thought that his life would hang in the balance making him reliant on a child. His own heirs both legitimate and illegitimate were gone. He was sure he would not be allowed to procreate again if the people in his court had anything to say about it.

Gritting his teeth at the unfairness of the situation and angry at his High General for his stupidity, he sighed, "Yes…he convinced us that no one else would find out about the child."

"Considering even you didn't know about it, I would say he kept his word," Madam Shinji continued where her husband left off.

Narrowing her eyes at the insinuation, Tsunade looked to the side at the picture of her teacher. Looking at the man in the picture she could see him doing something like this. The question was to whom did he give the child? Of course there were various questions going through her mind but there was one that was taking priority.

Turning back to her guests she asked the question, "Before I ask the obvious question about the identity of the child…I want to see proof that Sandaime left in your care."

Breathing a sigh of relief at Tsunade inquiring about proof, it gave him a bit of hope that she was at least willing to consider the existence of the Kingdom's heir. Getting back to the task at hand, he took out a scroll from his pocket before getting up and putting it on her desk.

"This is the only thing he gave me. I was told only a Hokage would be able to open this," he said moving back to take his seat once more.

Tsunade observed the scroll on her desk without touching it. She had activated a seal matrix as soon as the Daimyo got up from his seat. It was designed to give her some indication of foul play on the scroll but when no reaction occurred she grabbed the scroll to take a closer look. It seemed ordinary, except for an official stamp in the middle that she knew was anything but ordinary. She immediately recognized the seal on the stamp considering it was something that only 6 people in the world were aware of.

It dated back to her grandfather's time and she was pretty sure that the seal was designed by her grandmother. Though she had no proof of it considering she wasn't even aware of the existence of the seal until 3 years ago. It was an extensive work of art with a complex design. Looking at the seal she had seen a recognition sequence, a safety sequence, blood protection sequence, and most of all a locking sequence. It had taken her a while before she figured out that only a Hokage would be able to not only see the seals but utilize it. Though she still didn't know how a piece of seal was able to differentiate a regular person from Hokage.

Staring at the seal in front of her erased quite a bit of her doubts since 15 years ago only the Sandaime or the Yondaime would have been able to use it. Discreetly nicking her index finger she ran it over the seal in a specific sequence to activate the unlocking sequence. Once the scroll was opened she saw a storage seal within. Waiting on opening it, she looked to the top of the scroll to begin reading the message left by her sensei.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

In an undisclosed location on the way to Tenchi Bridge, Team Kakashi had bunkered down for the night. Bunkered down was a very relative term since they had someone capable of using wood to create a house in the middle of nowhere. Next day was the long awaited confrontation and tension could be felt by at least 3 of them. Naruto and Sakura were sound asleep taking full advantage of Kakashi allowing them a full nights rest.

The leader of the mission was sitting beside a window keeping one eye out while reading his book at the same time. Though how he was able to accomplish such a task was still a mystery to the people around him. Taking a look at his subordinate he noted the tension in his body just waiting to be uncoiled. Of course to an untrained eye it would look no better than a person relaxing but Kakashi was taught to be vigilant. He could read body language easily enough.

Sighing a little on the inside to break the silence he spoke, "It's not healthy for you."

Seeing the startled look in his Kouhai's eyes, he chuckled slightly, "Worrying about tomorrow."

Releasing a deep breath to calm himself, Yamato looked at his senior, "How can you be so calm Senpai?" Watching the single eyebrow raise in question he went on, "We are going after Orochimaru. How…"

Tilting his head towards the ceiling to get his feelings under control he muttered, "It's Orochimaru. The boogeyman of Konoha…It's kind of amazing that we can even think about going after him."

Understanding Yamato's worries Kakashi observed the surrounding area through the window, "Of course, I am worried. They are my sweet little students…" Looking at his subordinate he shrugged, "But they are shinobi of Konoha first and I know firsthand how strong they really are."

"How are they so strong Senpai?" Yamato asked with genuine curiosity, "From their files it doesn't seem like it but today's session opened my eyes."

Chuckling at the information on the files of Naruto and Sakura he shook his head, "You can't look at those files and think they have anything worthwhile in them."

Seeing the questioning look, Kakashi went on, "They are different people from 3 years ago. Totally different. It's pointless to even try to find a pattern of their progress in those files."

"You never thought they would progress to this level before?" Yamato asked.

"3 years ago they weren't mature enough for me to think that one day both of them would make a plan to take out Orochimaru," Kakashi shrugged "Anyway… I was their teacher and I couldn't comprehend their progress in such a short time, there is no way you will get anything of note from those files."

Shaking his head at the enigma that Naruto and Sakura were turning out to be, Yamato asked absentmindedly, "What are they Senpai? I have never seen anything like it."

"Hmm…," Kakashi inwardly laughed, "One of them is the number one unpredictable ninja of Konoha, while the other one is a medic with a fiery temper."

Hearing the description of the two people puzzling him, Yamato could only shake his head in wonder. From the files that he had read Uzumaki Naruto was last in his class to pass the academy. He had no notable skills except for pranking. Looking up his Chuunin exam result especially the intelligence gathering section, he found it left blank.

'For someone like him who failed to pass the academy 3 times, to become a Tokubetsu Jounin, before his peers was amazing.' He thought, 'It's the same for Sakura. She was intelligent but that was all book smarts so becoming a Jounin, first in her age group was nothing short of incredible.'

"Was it the Sannin?" Yamato asked after a while. Seeing the questioning look from his senpai's expressive eye he elaborated, "Is it because they both trained with a Sannin that they are so strong?"

"Might be. Though it's only part of the reason I think," Kakashi eye smiled, "Their teachers said both of them have goals in mind that they are working towards. For Naruto its being Hokage while Sakura wants to become the best Medic-nin in the world."

"And what about their teamwork?" The wood user asked, "It's uncanny."

Thinking back to the training session in the morning he tried to assess whether they had the skills required to take on Orochimaru. When they were running through the simulation one thing became extremely clear to Yamato. At any given time both of them were aware of each other's presence and they were really protective. At no time were Kakashi, Yamato or Sai able to surprise the two of them enough to break them apart as they were very aware of their surroundings.

Kakashi laughed at Yamato's query, "They are both very similar in terms of mindset. I think that helps them co-ordinate better."

"And Naruto has always been sweet on Sakura," He smiled at fond memories of the past, "I think she can appreciate it better now and that helps their teamwork a lot."

Shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation Yamato seriously asked, "Do you think they are ready to take on someone of Orochimaru's level?"

Thinking on it a little, Kakashi heaved a sigh, "It's not a matter of whether I think they are capable of taking on Orochimaru," Expounding he continued, "What's important is that they think they are capable of it. Hokage-sama approved of this plan and I don't think she would have done so if she had any doubts."

"It is kind of amazing that two 15 year olds can take on a genius level Shinobi with 50 years of experience," Yamato muttered to himself.

"That it is," he agreed before going back to his book as he saw Yamato closing his eyes to sleep.

Everyone was surprised at the progress his students had made but they got over it quickly. They were part of the Shinobi world, which meant they had to take surprises as they come and move on. Closing his eye to calm himself on the inside, Kakashi hoped that everything went well tomorrow.

Fighting someone of Orochimaru's level was no mean feat. He wasn't sure if he was truly capable of taking on the Sannin himself. As the moment passed, he went back to reading since there was no point in worrying about something that hadn't passed yet. He knew he had an important task tomorrow and both of his students were worried about him but he had no choice. He considered Sasuke's defection his failure and he wanted to correct his mistakes. If Sasuke wouldn't come back with words then he would use force and if that didn't work then he would not hesitate to kill him.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Late night Konoha…

Senju Tsunade was sitting at her desk watching the night life of Konoha through the window. Though it was too dark to see the faces on the mountain, the sprinkle of lights gave a haunting beauty to the village. Her mind however wasn't on the scenery before her, especially after opening the scroll left by her sensei. Reading the scroll had left her feeling numb at the shrewdness of her teacher. Even though she was aware of his fame and had seen the man at work when she was younger, the plan concocted by her former teacher still sent a jolt of surprise through her.

The man had brought the child to Konoha under disguise without telling anyone even going so far as to choose a couple that had been trying to bear a child for a while. In his own words he had admitted in the scroll using Genjutsu on the couple to make them susceptible to the idea. After that he planted false memories of the birth of their child, even going as far as to make them change profession.

Getting out of her trance she noted Shizune walking in, "What's the verdict?"

"It's the same Tsunade-sama," Shizune replied looking through the notes in her hand, "The blood result is all the same. It matches."

"I see," Tsunade muttered, "The old monkey sure did cover his tracks."

"I still don't get it. How was he able to accomplish this?" Shizune asked.

"Hmm…"

Not getting an answer from her teacher she went on, "I can understand that he entered Konoha without telling anyone."

"It's not hard for me to imagine that he would know people who were unable to conceive on their own. He was Hokage and he was very sociable as well," She listed off the points, "I can also imagine him using Genjutsu on the couple to make them believe they conceived the child but how the heck was he able to make them change profession and change their faces?"

"Because he had help Shizune," Tsunade looked at her apprentice, "No matter what the Daimyo believes, I am pretty sure Sensei told his wife about the circumstances. She was a good kunoichi."

"You think she was the one who performed the surgery to change their facial features?" Shizune asked in surprise.

Nodding her head, Tsunade smiled, "I am pretty sure. Of course, I have no proof of it."

At the questioning look on her student's face, she elaborated, "I went to the Sarutobi compound to look through his study. There was nothing."

"Were you seriously expecting to find anything?"

"No," She shook her head negatively, "But I wanted to check…for my peace of mind."

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked uncertainly, "How was he able to fool everyone? The Yondaime…ANBU?"

Smiling in memory of her teacher Tsunade answered, "He was capable enough…we all know that. You are surprised because he was able to hide it so well…like a true shinobi."

Getting up from her seat, she turned to face Konoha once more, "What surprises me is the fact that he was able to transfuse blood from a child…that too a newborn child and pass it to the parents to avoid suspicion."

"He changed the cells at a molecular level?"

"He must have…because the results are the same aren't they?" Tsunade answered the question with a question of her own.

"But…" Shizune trailed off at the staggering shinobi prowess of the Sandaime Hokage.

"He was known as Kami no Shinobi for his mastery over the ninja arts," Tsunade shook her head in wonder, "It's not so hard to believe that he would be aware of medical ninjutsu as well."

Shizune understood Tsunade's meaning immediately. Even though the Sandaime Hokage was known for his knowledge of a vast variety of ninja arts and was able to perform medical ninjutsu, Tsunade was still ahead of him in it. It was easy to understand considering it was her area of expertise and there was no one in the world more suited to it. Of course that was changing as well with the emergence of her Kouhai who was set to surpass Tsunade if she hadn't done so already.

"It's just a little hard to believe that he would be capable of doing so in a ninja village and no one found out about this," Shizune said at the sheer impossibility of the event.

"The most surprising part is that he was able to change the molecular structure of the cells of the couple," Muttering to herself she asked Tsunade, "Couldn't that be used to pass bloodlines?"

"No," Tsunade shook her head, "They are civilians…that's why they are safe. If they were ninja they wouldn't have survived."

"Because of chakra use?"

"Precisely. Their lack of chakra use keeps them alive."

"I see," Shizune thought about the situation. Sandaime made sure to choose civilians so that their chakra didn't interfere with regular functions. They would never be able to use chakra as it was cut off but they didn't need it except for the bare minimum to keep them alive. This way he was able to transfuse blood and make sure any blood test conducted on the parents and child would give similar results.

"Have we received anything from Inoichi, yet?" Tsunade asked bringing her subordinate out of her musing.

"No," She shook her head, "He still hasn't been able to bypass the seal."

Tsunade tsked at her sensei's meticulous attention to detail. Even after his death the seal matrix embedded in the body of the couple was as strong as ever. She didn't think it was feasible to open the seal without destroying the minds of the people it was protecting.

"I don't think he will be able to either," Tsunade shrugged releases her breath in defeat.

"What about blood samples for comparison, Tsunade-sama?"

"I will recall them as soon as their mission is complete," Tsunade answered thinking about the news she would have to deliver.

Thinking about the situation, she wondered if they would be able to keep it under wraps for too long. Although only four people in Konoha were fully aware of the situation, she knew Inoichi and Ibiki were already suspicious. Once the word of the Daimyo's presence in Konoha spread, which she was sure would happen by tomorrow people would like to know the reason behind the visit.

She knew there was no way she would be able to keep the information under wraps. Even if she was able to hide it from the ninjas under her command, the Daimyo would have to answer to his court that would arrive in Konoha most likely by tomorrow as well. There was no way for her to stop this from spreading, so the only thing left for her to do was to get on top of it first thing in the morning.

If she couldn't stop the word from spreading then the least she could do was release it on her terms. Giving a cursory glance around her office, she went back to her seat to think about the campaign that she would have to go through in order to control the information.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

4th Day

Announcing their arrival to the group in front of them Naruto and Sakura stopped at the top of the trees exactly 200 m from Tenchi Bridge. They felt ready especially after scouting the location beforehand. They had set their trap to provide them the advantage that they would need.

It was especially important since they wanted to scan the place to make sure Orochimaru or Kabuto hadn't laid their own traps. Though they didn't remember it happening last time, it was a long time ago, so they both made sure to cover their bases.

[Preparations are finally complete,] Naruto sighed moving towards the others.

[Yeah,] Sakura agreed as she ran through the final checklist, [It's too bad we have to hide some of our abilities.]

[Tell me about it,] Shaking his head Naruto scanned his surroundings. They couldn't lay down the seals to stop Zetsu from coming near them, since the seals covered the whole area inside and outside. With Yamato having the cells of the Shodaime Hokage they would cripple him for the fight if they activated the seal to keep Zetsu out.

The seal was based on a very simple concept of utilizing the chakra signature given by Shodaime's cells to recognize the enemy and stop them from entering the field. With Yamato having the same cells, the seal would essentially bind him and stop him from moving.

They didn't want Akatsuki getting a gist of what they could actually do, so for the fight they were bound by what they could use. However, it was fine with both of them as they saw it as a good chance to make sure they were both on top of the game even without their whole arsenal.

Breaking them out of their musing, Kakashi questioned, "Anything we should know?"

Shaking his head, Naruto replied, "No traps at all."

"You trapped the place?" Yamato cut in from the side as he covered the camp.

"It's all done," Sakura smirked as she thought about the ambush, "That snake is in for a nasty surprise."

"So…you guys feel fully confident?" Kakashi asked with a narrowed eye.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei…you are worrying too much about it," Naruto shook his head in amusement at his teacher's reaction.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with a deadpan look, "Well excuse me if I can't help but worry about my students a little."

Chuckling at her teacher's concern, she tried to reassure him, "Sensei, we are fine. We can take him on."

"Yeah," Naruto added his two cents, "But please don't forget your parts. If Orochimaru comes alone then you guys take on Kabuto, however if Sasuke is with him then Yamato-taicho and Sai will take on Kabuto, while Kakashi-sensei would take on Sasuke."

"We got it, Naruto," Yamato agreed gazing at the sky, "Shall we get moving?"

Nodding their head in acknowledgement, both teenagers turned around moving towards the meeting point. As the rest of the group caught up, they heard Yamato, "Are you sure you don't need me in there? After your description I can make a fairly good replica of Sasori."

"We know," Sakura answered as they arrived at the spot, "But it's better to stick to the plan right now. We are ready with the puppet."

"And it would be better if you guys are not in the middle. That way Sakura-chan and I don't have to take it easy on Orochimaru," Naruto provided taking out a scroll from his haori.

Releasing the contents of the scroll an exact replica of Sasori's puppet Hiroku popped out. Taking one last cursory glance at the piece of construction, Sakura went through the seals to bring the puppet to life. They had decided beforehand that instead of having Yamato in the middle of the bridge they would use one of their creations. It wasn't terribly complicated as the construction was done in one day. The wood of course had been provided by Yamato, while Naruto and Sakura had infused it with seals to help them.

"While you guys are doing that…we will hide," Kakashi told them as the three people walked towards the edge of the bridge on one side.

Nodding his head Naruto looked at Sakura as she finished charging the seals. Now that their preparations were complete he could feel the tension starting to rise. Scanning the general area he observed someone moving towards the meeting place. Locking on it he tried to remember if the signal was similar to Kabuto's from last time but he couldn't match up the chakra.

[Somebody's coming,] He supplied through the link.

[I sense them at 800 m] Expanding her senses she announced, [I got another one.]

[500 m behind him] He nodded through the link.

Sensing the pressure through the link as Naruto took control of his emotions and expand his concentrations, she asked, [Ready?]

[I am,] Taking a deep breath he checked his clones to make sure they were spread out. They needed to be far enough to not interfere with them while they gathered nature's chakra.

Going through the mental checklist one last time he observed Sakura doing the same through the link. Of course they had other backups but that was a necessity considering their opponent, [Sakura-chan, please be careful.]

[You too,] Sakura said, [Don't take unnecessary risks. And stick to the plan.]

Laughing on the inside at her exasperated tone, he assured her, [I love you, Sakura-chan.]

[I love you too,] She replied looking straight at him before she disappeared in a shunshin.

Sensing their query nearby, Naruto walked towards his hiding place fading from view at the blink of an eye. Once everything was ready, the team from Konoha waited for the spy to appear in front of them. Thinking about the changes from last time Naruto couldn't help but be nostalgic.

This time not only were they better prepared to face the situation, they had more backup. Even though he was aware of Sai's affiliations with Danzo, he had already warned Kakashi though he seriously hoped Sai didn't interfere this time. He had already made some progress with the emotionally stunted boy, though it was much different this time.

Last time Naruto's friendship with Sasuke had fascinated Sai enough to pursue his own agenda. This time they didn't have the same luxury simply because Naruto was not spouting about saving Sasuke. Still he hoped that his advances towards being friends were successful. He knew only time would tell if he was successful or not.

Hearing Kakashi's voice through the seal, he snapped out of his musings, "He is here."

[Sakura-chan?] He asked through the link as he locked on to Kabuto's chakra. It would make it easier to find him if Kabuto somehow survived. There was no time to be complacent, since they knew it was a fight and anything could happen. It was better to be prepared for worst case scenarios on their part so that if it ever came time to implement a plan they would not hesitate.

[I have him,] Sakura replied confirming the chakra signature through the link.

[I sense the same thing,] he sent back.

Observing Kabuto approaching the dummy, he heard Sakura's clipped tone, [Orochimaru, 200 m out.]

As soon as she finished speaking Naruto announced, "Be ready, the snake is here," Through the radio to the rest of the group.

He could feel the rise in pressure at the news. Bringing his attention back to Kabuto he saw him stop on the bridge, "It's been a long time, Sasori-sama."

As he removed the cloak from his head, Naruto heard Yamato's voice, "It really is him. Guess your hunch was correct."

Instead of replying Naruto stayed quiet as Kabuto spoke once more, "It has been five years."

"Hmm…," Naruto voiced in Sasori's voice through the wooden puppet, "I could care less how long it's been," He replied with disdain, "Were you followed?"

"No, it's safe."

"We will see," Naruto intoned through the dummy, "What's the location of Orochimaru's current base?"

As Kabuto talked about the different bases and how Orochimaru kept changing them every week, Naruto observed the area where Orochimaru was hiding. He knew Sakura was ready with her jutsu even as he spoke with Kabuto. There was a specific reason for waiting though. They knew Orochimaru's presence implied his interest in fighting Sasori, so it was in their best interest to use that distraction. If they were able to hurt Orochimaru then it would make the fight a bit easier and they wanted any and all advantages in their favor.

Getting back to the conversation, he asked another question as Kabuto stopped speaking, "And what of his pet project?"

"Project? Which particular one are you talking about?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ah…he is hidden at a small island in a lake to the North…We will move from there in 3 days."

Seeing that Kabuto was stalling for time as he gave long answers with just a hint of vagueness, Naruto knew he needed unbalance the spy. When Kabuto stopped he abruptly ordered, "You will kill him tomorrow."

Startled at the change of pace, Kabuto uttered, "What?" Before gathering himself, "May I ask why?"

"Because he has outlived his usefulness," Sasori's voice intoned, "After you are done, you will join me for your next mission."

"That's impossible. Sasuke-kun is always surrounded by Orochimaru," Kabuto shook his head.

"Orochimaru is of no consequence. He is a dead man walking."

As soon as he finished Orochimaru made his move using Shunshin to suddenly appear right beside Kabuto, "What interesting conversation you are having. Mind if I join in?"

For a second or two Naruto didn't reply waiting on Sakura to search their surroundings to confirm Orochimaru's whereabouts throughout the area, [He is real. Surrounding area is clear.]

[Roger,] he replied through the link concentrating on the people at the bridge, "Good you are here. Saves me the trouble of wasting my time," Sasori's voice spoke through the dummy.

"Indeed," Orochimaru smirked, "As I recall you never were one to waste time on pleasantries. Though I have to say you don't seem surprised to see me."

When Orochimaru finished speaking, "Coast is clear. It's only the two of them," Sakura's voice came through the radio for the rest of the group.

[I have him in my sight,] Switching to their link, she confirmed from high in the air pointing her index and middle finger at Orochimaru.

[Wait for my mark,] Naruto sent through the link observing the tension in Kabuto's body. Concentrating on the situation, he felt the time slow down as things started becoming clear in his vision. His synapses started firing in an instant as he intoned, [Tick activated.]

While Sakura was in the air with her fingers directed downwards, hearing Naruto's voice through the link, she activated her own tick at the same time. Feeling time slowing down, she suddenly felt her target coming into focus as she gathered chakra in her fingers.

When Kakashi heard Sakura through the radio he knew their role would be to kill Kabuto. At the very least they had to keep Orochimaru separated from his lackey. A part of him was glad that Sasuke wasn't here as it would make things easier for them. As long as the snake Sannin was out of the way, Kakashi knew their chance of taking Sasuke back to Konoha either through reconciliation or through force would go up. Of course, he wasn't naïve enough to think that Sasuke would come back without a fight. No, it was the level that he would be willing to go that concerned Kakashi. For now he steeled himself getting back to the conversation just as Kabuto attacked the puppet.

Naruto for his part was prepared for the strike. As soon as Kabuto's hand moved Naruto activated the dummy's feet to circle him making sure to get between Orochimaru and Kabuto. As Kabuto reacted to the turnaround he released the seals on the puppet making it explode.

[Now!] He shouted through the link.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Flying through the air from the explosion Kabuto tried to think of how Sasori could have found out about his defection. Not coming up with anything he took notice of his many wounds. The shrapnel from the explosion had pierced his flesh. He could feel internal bleeding and his glasses were cracked. Since, he was right next to the detonation site he could feel his ears ringing most likely due to ruptured eardrums.

Activating his cells he started the healing process still in the air, he saw beam of lightning come down from the sky destroying the bridge. Looking at the spot where the lightning struck, he could only stare in surprise, "OROCHIMARU-SAMA!"

Before he could even contemplate the second attack he landed on the ground skidding the last few meters before coming to a stop. Breathing deeply to regain his bearing, he focussed his chakra on healing the most dangerous of injuries. Sensing an attack from behind him, he moved as the place suddenly burst into flames.

Looking at the person who appeared in front of him, he could only utter a shocked, "You!…" as he had to dodge another attack from behind.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

While Kabuto landed on the ground injured from the explosion Kakashi was already moving to intercept the spy. When the dummy blew with Kabuto right at the epicenter Kakashi was just as surprised as Yamato. It was especially amazing since the shockwave from the explosion had gone in one direction.

"Holy shit…" He heard Yamato's voice through the radio before everything was drowned out as Sakura had released her attack striking Orochimaru. He knew the attack at hit since he was observing with the Sharingan.

Coming from side he performed the hand seals blowing out a ball of fire straight for Kabuto. Incinerating the spot he saw Kabuto get caught in the fire before it turned into a mud clone. Observing him from the side, he saw Yamato behind his opponent.

Before he could do anything else, all of a sudden he ducked as a kunai passed where his head was earlier. As the kunai struck the tree behind him, he suddenly heard Orochimaru's mocking voice, "What a beautiful plan that was, Kakashi-kun."

"But I am afraid you would have to use a bit more power to kill me," He sneered from across the other side of the valley.

Knowing the element of surprise was still on their side, Kakashi stalled to give Naruto and Sakura more time, "I thought it was," Observing the snake Sannin to see not a single scratch on him he shrugged, "I will remember that for next time."

"How amusing. To think Tsunade sent you here," Orochimaru smirked in amusement, "She must not value your life too much."

While Kakashi was stalling for time, Naruto was talking to Sakura while keeping an eye on Orochimaru, [So was he hurt?]

[Yeah,] Sakura replied circling in the air behind Orochimaru, [His previous body is lying 200 m from the damage.]

[Can you get it?]

[Not right now. I will be in Kabuto's line of sight.] Sakura denied through the link.

Since Sakura was high up in the air nobody was aware of her position at the moment but when she came down, there was a chance that Orochimaru would become aware of her. They wanted the body he shed so Naruto decided to go with his plan, [Then it's time for me to enter the field.]

[You will be stalling?]

[No, I will take the heat off those guys and confront Orochimaru, while you will store the body,] He replied getting ready to attack.

[Fine, be careful. I will need two minute for proper storage,] Sakura concurred hiding in the air with a camouflage jutsu.

Sending his acknowledgement through the link, Naruto got on the radio, "I am going after Orochimaru. Be ready," Then switching to the seal communication provided to Kakashi and Yamato he warned, "Keep an eye on Sai. Don't let him interfere."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

When Naruto saw the snakes going towards Kakashi out of Orochimaru's extended arms, he made his move. Jumping out of the outcropping, he appeared on top of Orochimaru, with a Rasengan in his right hand.

Right before he was supposed to strike, Naruto saw Orochimaru switching himself with a mud clone. He wanted to stop his momentum immediately and go right for the real Snake, 'Shit! What a guy. He placed his mud clone in such a position that if I turned to attack him he could kill me from front and back.'

With no other choice he destroyed the clone speeding up to avoid the Kusanagi's slash as Orochimaru tried to hit him in the back. Coming a stop he took a deep breath turning to face Orochimaru, '3 moves in less than a second.'

Absently noting that Orochimaru hadn't moved from the general area he called through the link, [Sakura-chan, you need to wait a bit more.]

Closely watching his enemy Naruto could make out the poison lining up the Kusanagi like a sheen of water. Before he could attack him, he heard Orochimaru speaking, "What a surprise this is. You almost had me there."

"Next time I won't miss," Naruto intoned, "I will just cut your head off."

"What amusing things you say," The snake Sannin derided, "I see the Kyuubi boy has become a weapon for Konoha."

"And don't you dare forget it," Naruto called out, "Trash!"

"Watch your mouth boy" Orochimaru hissed angrily.

Smirking at the enraged tone of his enemy, Naruto went further with it, "Or what?"

When he saw Orochimaru open his mouth to rebuke he kept going, "You are nothing. You have been led to believe that you are some great Shinobi but I call it as I see it," He said in a disgusting tone, "You are just a scared coward who needs to be put out of his misery."

[Stick to the plan dammit,] He heard Sakura's irritation through the link.

In a placating gesture he sent her calm feelings, [I am just making him angry Sakura-chan. He plays the game but he can't take it as well.]

[You better be careful, even though he doesn't have the use of his arms or at least his original ones, he is still dangerous,] she cautioned clearly not happy with the turn of events [We want to exploit his arrogance...not make him more focussed. Don't forget that.]

Before he could say anything in return, he heard Kakashi's voice through the seal, "Naruto, what do you think you are doing?"

He could see that Kakashi was angry just by the tone of his voice, 'Sheesh…what a vote of confidence this is.'

He knew the reason for their anger, while trash talking was a good way to get under enemies nerves, people needed to be careful to whom they talked to, especially when the opponent was Orochimaru. He was dangerous as it was but making him mad by calling the guy 'trash' would be the wrong thing to say for most people. Then again Uzumaki Naruto was not most people on the worst of days.

"I know what I am doing. Trust me," Naruto sent back with passionate response, annoyed at the interruption during the fight, [Trash talking is the least of his worries.]

Sneering in a taunting manner with a clearly enraged visage Orochimaru taunted, "You think you have the power to beat me?" Then in a mocking tone he went on, "You can't even hope to beat Sasuke-kun…Kyuubi Boy."

Hearing that Naruto scoffed, "That loser? He couldn't take it when he found out, in the real world he wasn't the hot shit everyone believed him to be in the academy. So, he left to kiss your ass. After spending 3 years playing your ass-Muppet, I don't expect any challenge whatsoever."

"You shouldn't bluff so much, Naruto-kun. It won't help you now," Naruto heard from the other side of the valley from Kabuto.

"Shut your trap," He spread out his killing intent at Kabuto across the valley, "When your betters are talking…you should just clench your asshole tightly and hope to die a quick death."

Facing Orochimaru at the glare from Kabuto he increased his killing intent even more, "Now… come snake, I need to pay you for Forest of Death back in the Chuunin Exams," With a full out bloodthirsty grin, "Time to make you grovel, beneath my feet."

Saying that he vanished from his spot once again appearing on top of opponent. When Orochimaru replaced himself with a clone once again, Naruto sharply turned going after the real Sannin. Without waiting for the mud clone to attack, he released a wind blade behind him to cut the clone in half. Observing the Sword of Kusanagi coming towards him, Naruto extended his right hand with a Rasengan in it.

As the sword hit the spiralling sphere, he deflected it upwards by bending his wrist so that the Rasengan went underneath the sword. Then stepping in close, he gathered chakra in left hand, "Wind Release: Rasengan," smashing a wind sphere at Orochimaru's stomach.

Not giving him a chance to escape, he gathered chakra in his hands, sending out a fire attack. As the fire reached him, it combined with the wind from the Rasengan becoming a huge fireball that resulted in an explosion.

[Now Sakura-chan!] He shouted through the link, giving her a chance to gather Orochimaru's shed skin.

[Already there,] Sakura replied, [You concentrate.]

Smiling at her worried tone, Naruto gathered wind around him and sped up to go in the air. Once high up, he waited for the smoke to clear keeping his senses on the Snake sannin. He could feel Sakura working storing the body a little ways away, while Kakashi and Yamato were fighting Kabuto. Belatedly, he realized that Sai was still hidden observing the battles.

He was interrupted out of his musings as the lengthened sword of Kusanagi came straight at him through the fire, 'Shit!' Turning sideways he dodged the blade watching it pass by from the corner of his eyes.

Watching the blade coming towards him intent on cutting him in half, he created a Kage Bunshin to take the hit. Before the clone could pop he used its shoulder to raise himself above the blade, twisting in mid-air to increase his speed.

Using wind chakra he forced it to push him down on the blade stomping on it. Feeling the sword giving way to his strike he used it's blade to regain his footing, as he disappeared due to his speed. Landing near the Sannin before the smoke from his first attack dissipated he released wind chakra at point blank range.

Next thing he knew, he was flying back from a lightning attack as he felt burns all over his body, 'What the…? What happened?' He shouted to himself trying to regain his bearing.

Thinking on it a little he realized that the Sannin had used the venom from the blade to spread it in the air around him. Then using the venom as a water source he increased the lightning attack's potency to counter his wind, 'Damn, that hurt,' He gritted his teeth in pain, flipping himself mid-air to get his feet under him. Sensing an attack coming straight for him, he heard the Sannin's Sen'eijashu technique as the snakes came for him

Trying to gather his chakra he felt it slipping away, 'Shit, lightning chakra is still coursing through my body.' As he realized that he wouldn't be able to use any technique until the previous attack was neutralized, he started to dispel one of his clones gathering natural energy when he was interrupted.

"**I will send my chakra through your body to neutralize the attack**," Kurama said even as he circulated his chakra in Naruto's body.

Watching the snakes coming closer, he knew he wouldn't have enough time to flush the chakra and move out of the way. Hoping that his resident partner would get the clue from his mind he shouted, "KURAMA!" releasing the bijuu's chakra from his hands to propel himself backwards gaining some distance.

Feeling his chakra responding to him once more, he formed hand seals as his feet landed on the ground. While skidding back from the momentum, he placed his hands on the ground, "Earth Release: Thousand Spears."

Transforming the earth into spines of impaling barbs, he saw them piercing the snakes killing them instantly. Watching Orochimaru escape due to another mud clone, he threw a flash bomb to provide a distraction. Creating shadow clones he disappeared from the Sannin's line of sight.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Orochimaru was getting pissed the more he fought with the Kyuubi brat. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. When the brat had dared to talk to him in a rude manner he had thought Sasuke's name would have brought down the bravado. The general attitude displayed by him was a shocker but then the apathy towards his former teammate flabbergasted him. From what he had heard of Naruto, he didn't think that he could have let go of Sasuke that easily.

'Jiraiya, must have really done a number on him,' He thought keeping a lookout for the next attack. He wanted to curse his former teammate, 'He seems to have the devil's luck when it comes to students.'

He still couldn't comprehend how Naruto of all people, the kid who 3 years ago had relied solely on the Kage Bunshin technique to get anywhere was suddenly able to not only harm him but keep up with him. The lightning attack at the beginning had hurt him deeply. It was only because of his body shedding technique that he was able to survive. If that wasn't enough, the second attack had been just as devastating with a wind Rasengan.

"To think he was able to combine a Rasengan with an elemental jutsu," he muttered angrily thinking about the attack, 'I had to use the body shedding technique a second time within a minute.'

Keeping an eye out for his opponent, he thought about the peculiar movement since he first laid eyes on the boy. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was similar to the movement snakes used but it seemed so precise, there was not a single wasted movement. Not even a muscle twitch, it seemed as if Naruto was in total control of his body, which was impossible as far as he knew.

'What did you do Jiraiya?' The movement was so smooth that it didn't seem human. He scoffed, thinking of all the experiments he had done that not being human was the least of his worries, 'It could be the work of seals but…' The problem was he didn't know any seals that would give an effect like that.

Moving away from his spot still trying to find his opponent, Orochimaru concentrated on another aspect that made his blood boil. So, far he had seen 3 elements used against him especially by someone whom he considered a failure in terms of Ninjutsu. He knew if the Kyuubi brat was trained properly that he would become a powerhouse especially with the amount of chakra he had but he never thought that Jiraiya would focus on that very aspect.

'The combination attack of wind and fire was very impressive if the damaged landscape had anything to do with it,' He thought observing the previous site, 'Of course the Earth technique was deadly as well.'

Most of all though, it was the control over wind that surprised Orochimaru, "He must have a very high wind affinity, especially since he was using it to hover in the air."

The last time he had known of someone with such a high affinity was the Nidaime Hokage with his water affinity. He couldn't comprehend what Jiriaya must have put Naruto through in order to fight like this. Snapping out of his contemplation he threw Shuriken's spreading them in a circle around him, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

Not waiting for his opponent to respond, he formed hand seals, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough," speeding the shuriken even further.

Moving from his spot, went to his right release a kunais towards each of the clones. Releasing another technique, he shouted, "Kunai Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Seeing the Shuriken coming towards him in numbers all the clones released chakra at the same time, "Wind Release: Great breakthrough," right when Orochimaru used the same technique.

Knowing his multiple wind techniques would overpower Orochimaru's single technique, he readied himself to counter the kunai arriving behind the shuriken. As the few Kunai turned into thousands he saw the 'Great Breakthrough' technique being used again.

'What the…?' He thought confused about Orochimaru's second wind technique behind the first one when he knew it would be overpowered. Before he could think about it fully, he heard Sakura through the link, [Move Wires!]

Realizing the intent behind the attack even as he saw the place explode in a huge fireball, Naruto removed his haori, placing it between the fire and himself to provide him cover. He had enough seals placed on the coat specifically for instances like this to provide him precious seconds, "Kawarimi no jutsu," to get out of his predicament.

"**You are lucky, otherwise you would be charred meat by now**," Kurama chuckled inside Naruto's head.

"Oye you would be the same by proxy," Naruto snapped back in annoyance at Kurama's chuckle. While gaining some distance he marvelled at the technique Orochimaru used.

"**He used your own element against you**," Kurama provided listening to his host's thoughts.

"Yeah…What a guy," He said with a hint of respect at the Shinobi prowess, "He realized I would counter with a wind jutsu to his shuriken technique."

Of course that was not the end of the strategy. Ochimaru knew his technique would be overpowered that's why he used Kunai with another wind technique. Most people would think that the use of the second wind technique would be to speed up the Kunai but that was only part of it. The main purpose of the second technique was to simply stop Naruto's wind chakra in one place and to hide the wires that were attached to the Kunai. After that he simply used a fire to guide the technique right to the centre of the conglomeration of the wind chakra.

As Naruto emerge from the fireball with burns on his arms, Sakura asked worried, [You alright?]

[I am fine Sakura-chan,] He tried to assure her, [The burns aren't too bad.]

Sensing movement behind him, he turned around as quickly as he could watching Orochimaru coming at him at great speed. As he readied himself to counter, his opponent stopped a few meters away from him opening his mouth, "Formation of Ten thousand snakes," as snakes slithered their way to him.

Before he could do anything, he heard Sakura's voice, [Get ready to move.]

Hovering in the air, Sakura saw the snakes moving towards Naruto. After warning her partner, she gathered chakra in her right hand dropping straight towards the ground. Landing in front of the snakes, she ignited her right hand surrounding it with flames smashing it into the ground.

Naruto leapt into the air just as the whole area got pulverized before exploding upwards as fires erupted from underneath the ground. Watching the snakes he saw them being incinerated by the fire as they disappeared. He was interrupted out of his awed musing by Sakura's voice, [Ochimaru?]

Locking his senses on the snake Sannin, he saw him soaring through the air in a daze. Seeing his chance, he gathered his chakra, raising his arms up in the air moving the winds above him in a fast circular motion. Pouring more chakra into it he raised the wind speed, "Wind Release: Multiple Tornados."

Directing the attack with his arms, he aimed for Orochimaru bring down the tornados on him. When the Sannin moved to counteract him, he called through the link, [Give me fire!]

Witnessing the multiple tornado's coming down on their enemy, she immediately understood Naruto's plan. The tornados would provide enough wind that there was a chance to finish the traitor once and for all. Gathering her chakra, she raised her arms as a big ball of fire emerged over her head. Concentrating she poured more chakra into the attack, doubling its size. As the fireball expanded it covered the whole area in a bright light that could be seen miles away, "Fire Release: Firebomb."

Throwing the fireball at the Sannin, she pushed it ahead of the wind attack. When Naruto's tornados touched the ground, Sakura stomped her right foot to change her momentum going in the air. Gaining some distance, she had to cover her eyes as the attack detonated in huge flash of fire. Feeling the searing heat on her skin, she felt her ear drums rupture from the shockwave as it pushed her even higher.

Coughing up blood, she squinted her eyes trying to make sense of her surroundings. Clearing her head she contacted her husband, [Naruto?]

Hearing a groan, she realized it wasn't her, [You alright?]

[Ye-yeah,] Naruto stuttered trying to clear his head, [Damage Report?]

[Minimum,] She replied with a clear voice, [You?]

[Same, Kurama is taking care of it,] he answered trying to sense Orochimaru.

Breathing a sigh of relief she expanded her senses, [Do you have him?]

[Still looking,] Naruto answered concentrating.

Suddenly detecting a presence within the cloud of dust, Sakura moved from her place circling around the field to get behind Orochimaru's back, [He is alive.]

Even before he heard her, Naruto gritted his teeth as he felt the Sannin's existence, [Got it.]

[I will attack from 12,] Sakura spoke through the link.

[We are going close?] He asked even as he moved at the 6 O' clock position.

[Yeah…might as well. He has too many tricks to get by,] she stated gathering her chakra, [We need to keep him in our line of sight. He is too dangerous otherwise.]

[Fine,] Naruto agreed increasing his speed, [I will take point.]

Following into the still clearing cloud of dust both of them dropped to the ground. They knew the less chance they gave their opponent to gather his wits about him the better their prospects of finishing the fight. So, speeding up they got ready to attack the sannin once more.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Orochimaru was hissing in anger at the attack against him. He could not have even imagined in his worst nightmares that the Kyuubi brat of all people would be able to become a Ninjutsu monster. Most Jinchuuriki's were chakra monsters and it was usually the bijuu that they fought with. But the boy in front of him hadn't even used the Jinchuuriki cloak. It was all his power, which made no sense to him. How could someone like him, who was a total failure as far as Orochimaru was concerned able to fight at his level?

Orochimaru had seen already seen the elements the brat could use but that last attack was really brutal. The only reason he survived was due to the Rashomon gates that he summoned. Even then 2 of them were totally destroyed and the third one was in need of repair. The appearance of the girl made it worse, since he hadn't been able to sense her before she dropped from the sky and pulverized the battlefield.

If he was not fighting for his life he would have shook his head in sheer wonder of what the girl had done. 'She combined Tsunade's monstrous strength with an elemental attack,' Surprised at the sheer ingenuity of the attack. If the intensity of punch didn't kill a person the fire attack behind it would make sure they stay down. The only reason he had stayed alive was because of the technique that he was using as the snakes had protected him enough for him to get away from the harmful effects of the fire.

If that wasn't enough then the girl had been able to form a huge fireball that had seemed like a miniature sun to him. Even if he was standing right now, he could feel the internal injuries from the shockwave of the combined attack. His ear drums were ruptured, he was having a hard time seeing properly and his sense of smell was skewed. Looking around he gathered his chakra as he felt both their presence coming for him once more.

'How did they become so strong?' He questioned as he thought about the intel he had on both teenagers. Jiraiya he could understand, as Naruto was a Jinchuuriki so training him was a little easier due to the amount of chakra he had. What he had a hard time coming to terms with was the strength the girl seemed to possess, 'That last attack could have easily killed me and no one with the amount of chakra she had could have used the previous fire attack.'

'What kind of training did you both put them through?' He scorned his former teammates. He had the Uchiha with him and even with the Sharingan there was no way he could have matched him in 3 years. He was still stronger but just feeling the killing intent in the air from both teenagers in front of him he knew that was not the case here.

Feeling their presence coming closer he spoke out loud trying to buy him some time, "Ku ku ku, well done," He sneered mockingly looking at them.

"That was some attack," He went on smirking, "I might have died-."

"Of course, you would have," Naruto cut in mid-sentence, "The only reason you are still alive is your Rashomon technique."

"You seem to know quite a bit about my technique," The snake sannin asked with narrowed eyes.

Smirking Sakura replied, "You think you are the only one with spies?"

"I see. I might have some pest problems."

Appearing behind Orochimaru, Naruto sliced him in half, "That's the least of your worries."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Fighting the medic nin, Kakashi backed off to avoid getting hit in his chest as Kabuto's arm missed. Last time when they had fought in the hospital room before the Chuunin exams he had not been ready but this time there was no hesitation within him. Still he had to be extremely careful as close range fighting seemed to be harmful to his health. From what he had been able to gather through the fight so far, Kabuto was very nimble and quick on his feet. He was also very smart as it seemed he had been trained quite thoroughly.

The most annoying thing about it was the chakra scalpel. With even a touch he could disable muscles or cut through bone. He could see the healing factor within him, since he had been able to take the damage throughout the fight and heal in front of Kakashi's eyes. That is why he was hanging back and picking at the medic nin. He had the advantage in terms of Ninjutsu but he had to be careful of his reserves.

'It wouldn't have been a problem if Yamato were here,' Kakashi thought replacing himself to avoid Kabuto's charged attack.

Sending out a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it, he arrived in a shunshin just a Kabuto replaced himself with an Earth clone to avoid the explosion. Forming hand seals, Kakashi pointed his hands straight out, "Lightning Beast Running Technique," as a hound made of lightning chakra ran straight at Kabuto.

As the first strike was dodged, Kabuto formed hand seals seeing Kakashi manipulate the technique to follow him. Slamming his hands flat on the ground, "Earth Release: Earth Shore Return," he raised a block of earth to give him cover.

Taking a deep breath he quickly formed hand seals, "Earth Release: Hiding like a mole technique," disappearing underground.

When his Lighting Beast technique collided with the earth wall, Kakashi looked around with his Sharingan trying to find the medic nin. With no one around him, he suddenly felt something at the edge of his senses as he used a chakra enhanced jump to avoid Kabuto's hands as they popped out of the ground.

Flipping in mid-air to look at the ground, he molded his chakra "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique," releasing it at the emerging spy.

Backing off to take a deep breath, Kakashi observed Kabuto trying to gain some distance as he healed himself. Expanding his senses he tried to pinpoint Yamato's and Sai's position. It seemed that Hokage's judgement proved to be true as at the first sign of escape, Sai tried to go towards Naruto's and Sakura's fight. It was a good thing that Yamato was prepared for it but it left the plan into shambles as Kakashi was left alone to deal with the traitor from Konoha.

It usually wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that they didn't know what Sai's plan was. As such Yamato was in a bind because capturing a target was a lot harder than killing it. Another reason was the explicit instructions Naruto and Sakura had left to make sure nothing interfered with their plan. It was imperative that Orochimaru was destroyed and Kakashi and Yamato had to provide them cover to avoid interference. For Sai to break off right after the conflict started meant that he had a separate mission from Danzo.

Ducking his head, Kakashi abruptly avoided the chakra scalpel that came from the side. As Kabuto emerged from the camouflage jutsu, Kakashi avoided another hit moving to the side. Activating, Lightning cutter he shoved his right hand through Kabuto's chest. Before he could remove his arm, the Kabuto in front of him turned into smoke as he was unexpectedly struck from behind.

Stabbing Kakashi through the back with the chakra scalpel, Kabuto extended his arm to go all the way through, "So much for the copy ninja Kakashi," he smirked ready to pull out his arm.

Right when he was able to let go the copy ninja in front of him turned to lightning, electrocuting him. Crying out in pain he flailed about trying to get his limbs under control belatedly observing Kakashi striking him in the back with shuriken.

When the shuriken struck true, Kakashi activated Chidori running towards him to deliver the final blow. Right when he was about to pierce the medic nin all hell broke loose as both of them were tossed around like rag dolls from the sheer force of the shockwave that spread from the fight between the Sannin and the teenagers. Seeing the bright light, Kakashi had to close his eyes just to preserve them from the intense heat and sheer luminosity.

Coming to a stop he gathered his chakra, "Earth Technique: Hiding like a mole Technique," going underground to get some cover.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Orochimaru was getting angry as he was cut once more by the Naruto. He had barely survived the combination attack the two had done and it made him furious to think that he was losing the battle. Making up his mind he went on the offensive, "Gathering of the snakes."

While the snakes from both halves coalesced he once more moulded chakra, "Soft Physique Modification," as he twisted his body to face the Kyuubi Jinchuurki. Not giving him a chance to escape, he released a purple gas that covered the immediate vicinity.

Observing the poison take effect as Naruto was unable to move, he formed hand seals as his body came together, "Slithering snake mode," changing the lower half of his body to that of a snake. Moving closer to the Jinchuuriki at an astonishing speed he relished the surprise on the boy's face as he opened his mouth to stab the sword of Kusanagi through his heart.

Naruto was talking to Kurama as he tried to filter out the poison in his system. When he had cut Orochimaru he was ready to launch a point blank Katon Jutsu to burn the Sannin but the attack had taken him completely by surprise. He thought he was immune to most poisons but this one seemed to attack the blood, making it viscous before hardening.

'Dammit!' He cursed himself suddenly finding himself unable to move even as he saw Orochimaru coming towards him, "KURAMA!"

"**I am trying! The poison is too much, it's already slowing down your heart**," The bijuu shouted even as he tried to heal his host, "I need to push a lot of my chakra through your system."

"Then, what are you waiting for?" Naruto wheezed out within his mindscape finding it hard to breathe. He couldn't mould his chakra as everything seemed frozen.

[What are you doing…MOVE!] Sakura frantic voice came through the link as Naruto felt himself losing consciousness.

Feeling the link grow weaker she knew Naruto was in serious trouble, focussing on the connection, she roared to the bijuu, "KURAMA…flood his damn system with your chakra."

Moulding her chakra she hurriedly formed hand seals, "Perception change," executing a Genjutsu on the snake sannin as he stabbed Naruto.

"NARUTO!" Shouting in pain at her husband's injury, she attacked the snake sannin with ferocity, "Seal Release: Full Body Protection," slicing Orochimaru in the back.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Right before the sword pierced him Kurama took over Naruto's body releasing a wave of dark red chakra that stopped Orochimaru in his tracks. Panting, he took a step back as the sword pulled out of his body gaining some distance.

Coming to a stop little ways away he saw Sakura slice Orochimaru from the back as the Sannin replaced himself with an Earth clone. Gasping for breath he fell to the ground from the sheer effort it had taken to move. Taking in big gulps of air as he tried to gather himself he felt Sakura's pain through the link, [Sakura-chan…I am…fine,] he tried to reassure her. He was thankful since it was because of her Genjutsu that Orochimaru had deviated from his original target of piercing his heart to stabbing his shoulder.

Clenching his teeth he tried to gather his chakra to counter-act the pain he felt throughout his body, "Kurama what's happening?"

"**The poison coagulated your blood Naruto**," The nine tails explained, "**Within a few seconds your body started shutting down-**"

"I know that already," Naruto interrupted him mid sentences, "Why am I hurting so badly?"

"**I am trying to explain that to you**," Kurama growled in anger as Naruto winced from the onslaught, "**Your chakra was targeted to make your blood viscous**."

"My chakra…" he panted, "was killing me?"

"**Yeah**," Kurama answered even as he distributed more of his chakra throughout his host's body, "**I had to take over your chakra and jump start your system**."

"**Especially since you were shutting down**," He finished the explanation as he expunged some of the poison, "**But now your own chakra is non-existent and mine is the only thing keeping you alive**."

Sitting back at finally getting his breathing under control, he looked towards the fight, "I see. Since our chakra is not equalized my body is having a hard time filtering out the harmful effects."

"**Even though I do not want to harm you Naruto, it is a two way bond**," The proud bijuu clarified, "**My chakra is still harmful unless you are there with your part of the connection.**"

"I understand, Kurama. Thank you for saving me." Naruto thanked him trying to get up.

"**You need rest**," Kurama said gruffly, "**You still have poison in your system**."

"Can't…need to help Sakura-chan."

"**With the poison in your system…you will be a liability**."

"How long then before you negate the poison?" Naruto asked getting back on his feet. He was still having a hard time breathing as swayed where he stood, 'Damn what kind of poison was that? It acted so quickly.'

He knew the main reason behind the swift acting poison was because it affected chakra not blood like so many others. It was especially brutal for him since his whole body was doused with the poison right when he was about to perform a jutsu, "That bastard timed it perfectly," he muttered to himself.

"**What else did you expect? He might be a coward but he still a dangerous person to fight**," Kurama interrupted his thought process, "**How do you intend to fight him?**"

Hearing the question Naruto understood his resident bijuu's concern since he didn't have any chakra left, "How" pant…, "much chakra can you give me before I am in danger?"

Kurama didn't say anything for a few seconds as he considered his host's words, "**You want to fight with my chakra?**"

"Yeah…" Naruto nodded as he went inside his mindscape, "I can use Senjutsu but I think a statement need to be made here."

The nine tailed fox didn't say anything as he listened to his explanation, "I want Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taicho to feel your power."

"**You want word to go to Senju?**" Kurama asked with narrowed eyes.

"I want to show them that we can work together," Naruto looked into the beast's eyes, "Even though Baa-chan agreed to my plan, it would be better if she knew the power we are wielding."

"**And Kakashi would tell her**," Kurama finished nodding his head.

"She needs to know. It would help us out," Naruto supplied narrowing his eyes, "And anyway right now taking Chakra pills is out because I don't know how the left over poison would react."

"**What about the nature's chakra?**"

"Senjutsu?" Naruto questioned before shaking his head, "Negative. I can dispel a clone but it would be very hard for me to balance chakra right now."

"**So my chakra is the only thing left**." Kurama stated.

Nodding his head, Naruto looked up at the bijuu, "How much chakra can you give me before my skin starts ripping off?"

Kurama knew his host was talking about the scenario from his previous life where apparently his counterpart had tried to escape by making the seal opening wider, "**That won't happen this time. I am not fighting against you**."

"**I can give you three tails worth**," Kurama elaborated, "**Your body can't take more than that. You need to understand though since my chakra is dominant right now it would affect you**."

Going out of the mindscape Naruto focussed on the battle taking place in front of him, "Affect how?"

"**Your control would suffer...you would become more feral**," The beast explained, "**And the pain will get worse.**"

Naruto winced hearing that since he could barely stand properly right now, "I see."

"**I can't do anything about the pain. Your chakra is very low to the point of chakra depletion. I am doing what I can.**"

Naruto understood that Kurama wanted him to understand that it was his body that was unable to cope with his chakra. His cells were working overtime trying to expel Kurama's chakra considering it harmful since Naruto was unable to guide it. On the opposite end his bijuu's chakra was healing his body. The two clashes were the main cause of pain.

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger as he tried to focus himself to think past the pain. Even with the training from Rikudo Sennin, he was unable to do much right now since his brain could barely concentrate. Without his own chakra he was having a hard time balancing Kurama's.

'When I join the fight I will only be able to do the big Ninjutsu with less control,' He thought releasing his breath, "Of course on the other spectrum is the fact that the more chakra I use the closer I will get to chakra poisoning."

Having already decided to join the fight Naruto intoned, "Do it Kurama. I am ready," as red chakra covered his body before three tails sprouted from back. Arching his back due to the amount of pain, he let out a loud roar releasing a shockwave of chakra.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

After releasing the full body protection seal, Sakura got close to Orochimaru and sliced his back quickly with near invisible blades. As the Sannin turned into an Earth Clone, she saw her husband moving towards safety with Kurama's red chakra visible on his skin.

She knew whatever the poison was it must be really potent if Naruto had frozen on the spot. She was very interested in studying the poison considering the speed at which it affected her husband especially since most poison were burnt out of the system before they could do permanent damage.

For now breathing a sigh of relief when Naruto confirmed he was alright, she concentrated on her opponent. She was hoping Kurama would either flush out the poison or keep Naruto alive long enough until she could do it herself.

Being in the vicinity she stored the poison with the help of her microbes within her body. She had one advantage over Naruto since the microbes made sure her body's internal homeostasis was maintained at all times. So poisons would not work on her anymore considering she could isolate her blood pretty easily. Focusing on the Sannin she pinpointed his position, "Lightning Release: Lightning whip," sending out a whip of pure lightning to cut him in half.

As the Sannin dodged by replacing himself with another Earth clone, she put her hands together in a ram seal, "Level 1 seal release: Disc blade," with circular blades coming out of her boots. Speeding up she appeared in front of Orochimaru raising her leg in a high kick.

Backing away from the kick the Sannin saw his opportunity kill one of the pest, "You are finished," stabbing his sword towards Sakura's unguarded stomach.

Watching the attack she released chakra from the sole of left foot providing the momentum to roll in mid-air. Completing the roll she saw the sword pass underneath her, "Not quite."

Not giving the Sannin another chance she quickly went through hand seals, "Fire Release: Fire stream," as a jet of fire hit Orochimaru head on.

Sensing an attack from behind her, she executed a replacement just in time to avoid the wind technique, "That was close," muttering to herself she went underground, "Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique," appearing underneath Orochimaru.

Right when she was about to grab his ankles to drag him down, her opponent jumped twisting around in the air attacking her, "Earth Release: Spikes,"

Abandoning her technique she quickly gathering chakra, "Earth Release: Hiding Like a mole technique," appearing a little ways away, 'Shit!'

Getting no respite to gather her breath, she observed a stream of fire reaching her. Slamming her hands on the ground she focussed her chakra, "Earth Release: Earth style wall," Raising a solid wall of earth to defend herself from the fire.

Once she felt the heat die down, she moulded her chakra forming another set of hand seals. Thumping the fall in front of her, "Earth Release: Earth spike missile," as spikes from the raised wall jutted out towards Orochimaru.

Not giving the Sannin a breather she spat on the ground moulding chakra, "Earth Release: Earth flow river." As Orochimaru dodged her first technique she expanded the Earth river flow technique to cover the area right where the Sannin was supposed to land. As Orochimaru found his footing, she changed her hand seals, "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet," Forming a massive dragon mouth that release a fire attack underneath the Sannin.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Orochimaru was at a loss for words especially from the last technique exchange that had gone on between him and Tsunade's apprentice. From what he remembered three years ago this girl barely had the chakra to use the simplest of the techniques and now she was matching him every step of the way.

'It seems I am not the only one who was experimenting,' he thought with sneer on his face.

'These two failures are making me look like a loser,' he hissed angrily. His body was already at the stage of rejecting him and the use of high powered Jutsu was taking it to its limits. He knew he had to finish it fast if only to avoid fighting the two of them at the same time. He wanted to kill at least one of them and feeling rage at missing his chance when the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was immobilized.

The Genjutsu by the girl had confused him enough that he had missed his mark from stabbing him in the heart to his shoulder. And then the Kyuubi chakra had come out. He was guessing the Kyuubi was having a hard time keeping the host alive and that was why Naruto was not part of the attack at the moment.

He had to be careful of the girl though as she didn't waste any chakra. Most of her attacks had been right on the mark and she was matching him pace for pace. He had come close to killing her a couple of times but she had been able to evade the attacks.

When she had converted her Earth shield into spike missiles he couldn't help but remember his sensei. The style was similar to how he used to fight, which was amplified with her next technique. When she changed the Earth into mud and then used the 'Earth Dragon Bullet' he couldn't help but feel déjà vu from 3 years ago.

Before he could contemplate it any further he felt the lower half of his body get destroyed from the fire released from the dragon's mouth. Replacing his body once more he used the fire to hide his movement.

As the fire died down he observed the trench the Ninjutsu had made in the direction of the attack. It was quite a display especially coming from a medic nin. He had never seen Tsunade do something like that as she always stayed back to observe the battle and heal others when possible.

Looking at the kunoichi's panting form he clapped his hands in mock commendation, "Bravo…That was a very good display of elemental ninjutsu."

Hearing the Sannin's voice Sakura growled in her throat. The guy refused to die even after the attack she just performed. It was one of the best displays of elemental combination that she had taken from the Sandaime's repertoire. She knew she had hurt him but he was able to survive with his body replacement Jutsu, "You should count yourself lucky…you were able to witness it."

"Ku Ku Ku, how quaint that you are happy with such a weak display," Orochimaru taunted buying time to gather his chakra.

"Weak display?" Sakura scoffed moulding her chakra, "Considering your goal of learning all the Jutsu in the world I would have to say I am disappointed with your Ninjutsu."

Watching the glare on Orochimaru face she sustained, "Especially since two teenagers were able to not only match you but beat you as well," smirking at her foe she further infuriated him, "Who was the last teenager you weren't able to beat?"

"Watch your mouth you pathetic girl," The Snake Sannin hissed angrily, remembering the time when he tried to get the Sharingan from Uchiha Itachi.

Moving quickly from her spot she appeared in front of Orochimaru cutting him in pieces as her blades cut him in half before her opponent dissolved as an Earth clone. Sensing an attack behind her she quickly turned around as the Kusanagi was blocked with one of her blades from the sealing technique. Extending her arms she released fire from her hands at Orochimaru. Seeing the burning logs she felt two snakes wrap around her from both sides.

Using the cover of his snakes being sliced from the blades around the girl, Orochimaru extended the Kusanagi straight through Sakura's back, "I will enjoy sending your head to Tsunade."

"Wow talking out of your ass…ooh I am so surprised," Sakura replied sarcastically appearing behind the Sannin.

Before she could do anything, she felt herself being replaced, as Naruto suddenly arrived in her place. Not giving him any time to recover Naruto skewered their opponent using Kurama's chakra.

Watching Orochimaru do the body replacement technique once again Naruto bellowed, "Why won't you stay dead?" Releasing a blast of chakra striking the Sannin head on.

[Naruto calm down,] Sakura tried to subside his anger, [Kurama? What's going on?]

"**Our chakra is not in balance. Even though I am controlling it he is still being affected**," Kurama replied as he retracted his chakra.

Avoiding the Kyuubi's chakra Orochimaru gained some distance before coming to a stop. He knew the appearance of the Jinchuuriki cloak was not a good thing for him. His body was already failing as he could feel the drain on his chakra. He would need a new container soon and he couldn't wait to get Sasuke, "What a nice Jinchuuriki you are turning out to be Naruto-kun."

Hearing the teenagers growl he taunted him some more, "But that level of power won't be enough to beat me."

"You want to find out how strong I really am?" Naruto growled bending down to go on all fours before Sakura stopped him.

Seeing the girl calming down the Jinchuurki, Orochimaru knew he had lost his chance. He couldn't fight alone anymore as the two of them were turning out to be more than he bargained for. Biting his thumb he slammed his hand on the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Sakura immediately recognized the seals on Orochimaru's arm as he swiped blood on them. Gaining some distance she shouted through the link, [SUMMON!] To get through Naruto.

Hearing Sakura's voice through the fog of anger he quickly bit his thumb going through the hand seals. Slamming his hands on the ground he heard Sakura at the same time, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

Getting his breathing under control Naruto focussed on the task at hand as Kurama helped to calm down his aggression. It was not the right time or the right opponent to take aggression out on. He was aware that Orochimaru was a true snake as such he had to be on his guard. Now that he could control his emotions a little bit he focussed himself, [Sorry Sakura-chan. I kind of lost it there.]

[You are in control now?] Sakura asked worriedly.

[As much as I can be in my position,] He replied, [I am very close to chakra poisoning.]

[I thought so,] She answered distractedly already aware that he wouldn't take the chakra pill in case the poison made it worse, [Is the pain tolerable?]

[It hurts Sakura-chan. I can barely stand but I will make do.]

Gritting her teeth at the situation Sakura nodded her head, [I will take point…you cover this time.]

[Fine,] Naruto agreed knowing his aggression might make him a liability. Interrupting their mental conversation he heard Gamabunta talk out loud, "This feels like déjà vu from 3 years ago."

Smiling slightly Naruto responded, "You never did get your Snake wallet, Boss toad."

"Now that I think about it brat…you are right," Gamabunta said with a smirk, "It's time we change that."

"Orochimaru! You want me to devour you?" Manda snapped at his summoner, "You called me here to take care of some kids?"

"Ku Ku Ku I just thought you would like to get another chance at having toad jerky," Orochimaru sneered focussing on his opponents.

"You better prepare the sacrifices," Manda said as he turned his eyes on his opponents, "I guess the snake clan is having toad jerky this time."

"Come snake, I can't wait to tear into your flesh with my blade," Gamabunta said putting his hand on the tanto.

Shaking her head at the trash talk Sakura spoke softly to her summon, "Thank you for coming here, Katsuyu-sama."

"You are very welcome, Sakura. I am glad I can be of service."

"You need to know something," Sakura verbalized in a lower voice, "Naruto is close to chakra poisoning so we are taking point."

"I see," Katsuyu replied looking at her opponents. Everything was extremely quiet except for the occasional twitches from all three of the summons. Each of them was watching the other to see who would make the first move.

Feeling the chakra gathering inside the snake, Sakura suddenly shouted, "Katsuyu-sama spit acid."

Soon as Katsuyu spit out the acid Sakura moulded her chakra controlling it. Turning it into a shape of a whip, she cracked it at the snake. When the snake moved to avoid the whip, she saw him approaching from the back. Without turning around she moved her arms in a circle making the acid change shape as it shifted behind her summon.

Seeing the line of acid protecting his prey made him stop before ducking to avoid a slash from the toad's tanto. When he made to move away the acid came towards him at great speed. Quickly shedding his skin he went underground.

Destroying the snake with the acid she noticed the skin left behind. Sensing the snake, Sakura shouted, "Move 50 m to the right," moulding her chakra, "Earth Release: Acidic mud," Mixing the acid from the earlier attack with an earth technique. As the area around turned muddy, she saw Manda emerge with corrosive burns evident on his body.

Observing the snake moulting his skin to avoid the corrosive effect of Sakura's technique, Naruto moulded chakra shuddering from the pain, "Boss when I signal spit out some oil."

Throwing out a big fireball from his mouth, he changed his hand seals, "Futon: Fuel fire."

When the fire and wind combined to make another big attack Orochimaru knew he had no other choice. Remembering the last attack he jumped off Manda's back appearing between the snake and the fire. Slamming his hands on the ground, he summoned the last gate he had left from the earlier attack, "Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon."

[Sakura-chan, I will distract,] As soon as the barrier was destroyed Naruto shouted, "Now boss," moulding his chakra once again. Breathing out his biggest fire attack yet, he combined it with Gamabunta's oil increasing it in size and intensity.

Watching the second fire attack, Sakura moulded her chakra once more, "Earth Release: Earth style quicksand," Ambushing the snake to keep it from fleeing, she ordered Naruto, [Attack now!] jumping in the air.

Hearing Sakura's voice Naruto shouted, "Boss skewer him!" As Gamabunta ran his blade through the snake's middle it turned into snake skin. Leaping away from the place he left his tanto behind to avoid Manda's fangs as he attacked from the side.

While in mid-air Sakura moulded her chakra forming lightning bolts. Seeing Manda's head popping out of the ground, she released the technique, "Lightning Release: Lightning bolts," As bolts of lightning struck the head snake she could hear the pained screams of the snake, [Activate the seal!]

As the lightning bolts went through his body, Manda could only gasp in pain. Realizing that Orochimaru had evacuated from his head he shouted, "You will pay for this Orochimaru. When I heal I will devour you," Trying to de-summon himself.

While Gamabunta was leaping to the side, Naruto heard Sakura activating the trap, "Seal Release: Negation Barrier," they had laid out before the start of the fight. It was nothing elaborate as they knew there was a high chance of the area being destroyed so their preparation was only concentrated on one seal.

Knowing that Orochimaru would summon Manda during the fight especially if he was losing, they placed seals around that area to create a barrier stopping summon's from going back. Since, summoning or de-summoning was part of the space-time faculty they stopped it by spreading the seal.

Appearing on top of Manda with her fist pulled back, Sakura went in for the kill, "Hope you have a great time in hell," Bringing her fist down, she pulverized his brain killing him instantly with one hit. As the snake stopped twitching she saw Orochimaru approaching from the side. Knowing she won't be able to move in time, she shouted "Katsuyu-sama!"

Intercepting the sannin Katsuyu's clone slammed into him, "I am here Sakura."

As Orochimaru was sent flying from the impact, Naruto leapt off Gamabunta, "Now Kurama," as the intensity of the chakra increased. With his hand pulled back he swiped at the Sannin's face, "It's your turn to die snake."

Watching his greatest summon die Orochimaru finally lost it, "Die…Die? I am Orochimaru. I am immortal," he shouted changing his form, "Eight Branches Technique."

Blinking in shock at the humongous in front of him, he saw a giant white serpent with eight heads and eight tails. Even standing at the head of Gamabunta the snake heads towered over them, "Holy shit! What the heck?"

Blowing out smoke from his pipe Gamabunta shook his head, "This just got harder."

Meanwhile Sakura was looking at the gigantic snake heads with narrowed eyes. It wasn't the size that worried her it was the level of chakra she suddenly sensed from the Sannin. They had to do something about it because she knew Naruto wouldn't last long. She could feel the pain he was feeling through the bond.

[Naruto we have to kill him now,] She said through the link.

[I know Sakura-chan but most of my bigger techniques are unavailable to me right now,] He replied with gritted teeth.

Sending her love she tried to calm him down, [That's fine…We are a team after all.]

[Yeah,] He responded with a small smile, [Gamabunta and I will distract the snake heads.]

[30 seconds,] Sakura said focussing on the snake, [That's all I need.]

[Got it,] Focussing on the task at hand Naruto breathed deeply to think about the pain. He needed to pass the news on to his summon. If Sakura's attack was as powerful as she made it then they would all need to know when to get out.

While Naruto was explaining the plan to Gamabunta, she turned to her own summon, "Katsuyu-sama, I need time to prepare an attack. Please distract the snake heads with Naruto and Gamabunta."

"How long of a distraction do you need, Sakura?" Katsuyu asked getting ready.

"At least 30 seconds but when the time comes I want you to gain as much distance as you can," Sakura stepped off her summon's head, "Better yet, please de-summon yourself."

"You have deactivated the barrier?"

"Naruto is taking care of it even as we speak," Sakura answered.

"How would you protect yourself?" Katusuyu asked worriedly.

Smiling at the concern, she tried to reassure her, "I will be fine. It won't hurt me." She knew Katsuyu was worried about losing her since her name de-activated the first time. She counted herself lucky that she was allowed to sign the scroll once again.

Changing her momentum she went higher in the air bringing her hands together. This was the first time in this world she was going to utilize microbes for an attack so she was hoping everything went according to plan. She had tested them the 3 days they had during their arrival at the bridge and her connection with microorganisms was just as strong as she remembered.

Moulding her chakra she directed her technique, "Summoning: Cyanotheca Microbial clones," as 10 copies of Sakura formed around her. Panting due to the toll of the technique she directed the clones to hover in the air over Orochimaru's form. Once they were in position she ordered, "Begin transformation."

Climbing higher than the clones she waited until they completed the task. The process was fairly simple aside from the fact that she was controlling microbial life. The microbes contained in the clones were naturally occurring cyanobacteria that used sun's energy and turned it into hydrogen by using oxygen. It was a quick way of producing highly flammable gas.

As her clones started to bloat from the overabundance of hydrogen she moulded her chakra to keep them in place. Since hydrogen was lighter than air if she didn't they would start climbing higher or explode from sunlight alone. Since she could control momentum to a certain extent she changed it so they would descend.

Sending out the signal to Naruto she shouted through the link, [Now!] observing him gaining some distance while their summons went back to their realm. Not giving the eight headed snake a chance to retaliate her clones exploded on impact. Arming an explosive tag she threw it at the snake getting out of there.

[Holy shit, Sakura-chan!] Naruto exclaimed from his position as he was battered by the shockwave. The attack was so big it made their combined fire attack seem like a small explosive.

Looking around he saw trees uprooted everywhere and the ground was scorched from the sheer intensity of the fire. Even with 3 tails worth of Kurama's chakra he could feel the heat on his skin. As the attack died down and the smoke started clearing he suddenly saw the sword of Kusanagi coming towards him.

Before he could move from his position, Sakura appeared in front of him taking the attack. As the sword stabbed her in the stomach she stopped it with her hands. Watching blood dribble down from the corner of her mouth Naruto's world went dark.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

"Ugh…" Naruto moaned slowly opening his eyes only to suddenly close them due to light sensitivity, "What happened?"

"What happened is that you lost yourself," came a voice from his right. Trying to put the sound together with the person he abruptly opened his eyes, "Sakura-chan!"

As he tried to get up his body was wracked with pain making him fall down from sheer agony. Gritting his teeth he slowly turned his neck towards the voice only to stop at the fury behind Sakura's eyes, "So…I take it that you are mad at me?" He asked cheekily.

Before Sakura could say anything Kakashi intervened knowing her temper, "Naruto…you gave us quite the scare."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Surprised at hearing his team leader's voice he asked with a serious expression, "Kabuto?"

Shaking his head negatively, Kakashi replied, "He escaped. He is seriously hurt but not dead yet."

"Damn," Closing his eyes to ward off the headache he asked with gritted teeth, "How? There were three of you."

"Not quite," Yamato's voice cut in from the side but he couldn't turn his neck in the direction, "Kakashi-senpai had to take the spy on his own."

"I see," He replied with no inflection, "I take it Sai had an agenda of his own?"

"Pretty much," Yamato answered resignedly.

Letting out his breath, Naruto turned towards Sakura, "What about…?"

Shaking her head to ward off the anger, she fisted her hands to keep from shouting at her husband, "He is dead."

"What happened?"

Narrowing her eyes she spoke stiltedly, "You released Kurama's chakra and fought Orochimaru to the death."

Taking a deep breath he asked, "How many tails did we release?"

"All of them," She replied with no inflection in her voice, "After you were done playing around with the snake, you shot a bijuudama at him."

"Destroyed the whole landscape I might add," Kakashi said almost in awe of the sheer power of the attack.

[Sakura-chan,] Naruto sent her his feelings through the link to placate her.

[I am so angry at you,] Sakura returned her feelings, [In both of you,] Making sure Kurama could hear it as well.

[I-]

[No!] Interrupting him she went on, [Whose apprentice do you think I am? You know I have had worse wounds than that,] Her voice rumbled through the link.

[Look I am sorry…seeing you hurt I lost it]

[Damn right you lost it,] She almost snarled as Naruto winced at her volume, [Because of your stunt…you broke every bone in your body.]

[Do you know how close you were to dying?] She shouted without holding back, [You went past the point of chakra exhaustion…heck your body was poisoned not just from Orochimaru's agent but from excess of Kurama's chakra.]

"Sakura-chan, at least Orochimaru is dead," Naruto said out loud knowing that Sakura would hold back a little since they had other's around.

"Dead! You are talking about him being dead!" She exclaimed loudly, "Because of you we might have lost the chance to kill him."

Getting angry at her refusal to calm down he sarcastically called out, "Well excuse me if I panicked a little because…oh I don't know YOU GOT STABBED BY OROCHIMARU."

"I knew what I was doing. Even before the hit I had started stimulating the cells to multiply," Sakura replied just as angrily, "It was your job to make sure-"

"Enough!" Kakashi interjected mid-rant, "You have both been through a tough situation…Fought an S-rank criminal."

Modulating his voice he continued, "You are under a lot of stress and I don't want you to say something you might regret later on."

Seeing both his students take deep breaths to get their breathing under control he ordered, "Our mission is not complete yet."

"Kakashi-senpai is right," Yamato came in once he saw both teenagers had calmed down, "So, Sakura what's the prognosis on Naruto's condition?"

Shaking her head she replied, "It's not good at all. All of his bones are broken and even though I was able to take out Orochimaru's poison he can't use Kurama's chakra to heal himself."

"Why?" Naruto questioned.

"Because I had to put a seal on you to stop both of your chakra mixing," Looking at him she elaborated, "You were clinically dead when you stopped channelling Kurama's chakra."

Surprised at hearing her diagnosis, he saw her wipe off a tear, "Your cells started fighting against his chakra. They were killing you."

[The tick and Orochimaru's poison wasn't helping either. By the time I reached you your heart had stopped beating,] she explained forlornly through the link, "So right now you don't have your regenerative ability."

"What can you do to fix it?" Yamato asked earnestly.

"Nothing…I will have to do surgery but I wouldn't recommend it in his condition," Sakura replied with a shake of her head, "Long story short, Naruto is not fit for duty right now."

"What do you want to do, Senpai?" Yamato directed the question towards the team leader.

Not giving Kakashi a chance to answer, Sakura interfered, "Kakashi-sensei, both Naruto and I are in no position to fight," Ascertaining that she had his attention she went on, "I think it would be best if you left Naruto and I here. We will look after Sai and make sure he doesn't escape."

"I am not leaving you guys' behind-"

Interrupting him Sakura looked straight in his eye, "Sensei, you are not abandoning us. If I didn't have to expend all my chakra healing Naruto I would be going with you but as it is I am in no position to fight."

"Kakashi-Sensei," Naruto barged in seeing the hesitance in Kakashi's expression, "Sakura-chan is not helpless…she is just exhausted and I am sure once my cells get some rest Sakura-chan will release the seal holding back Kurama's chakra."

"Yeah, I will be good as new within a very short time and if push comes to shove I still have chakra pills," She nodded her head agreeing with her husband, "Also Naruto would be healing by the time the two of you get back."

Before Kakashi could say anything, there was a puff of smoke from beside Sakura. Once the smoke cleared everyone saw a small slug as it moved towards Sakura's hand. Picking up the slug, Sakura asked, "Katsuyu-sama?" Immediately recognizing the leader of the slug clan.

"How did the battle go Sakura?" Katsuyu asked politely.

"Orochimaru is dead."

Nodding her head in acknowledgement, the slug delivered her message, "Tsunade-sama has ordered you all to return to Konoha immediately."

"What?" Sakura asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

"I am not at a liberty to say anything," The slug shook her head, "It was a direct order from Tsunade-sama."

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Facing at her husband she moved her head side to side, "I have no idea."

"It has to be something important if Tsunade-sama is calling for us," Kakashi contemplated gazing at both teenagers.

"Would you be able to talk to Baachan?" Naruto asked thinking about the situation.

Looking at the slug Sakura politely asked, "Would it be possible Katsuyu-sama? Would you facilitate the conversation?"

"Certainly," Katsuyu nodded her head, "Just give me a minute to inform Tsunade-sama."

"Thank you."

[You think something happened?] Naruto queried through the link, [Maybe Akatsuki?]

[Don't know…] Sakura said absentmindedly as she thought about the situation.

Hesitantly Naruto supplied an explanation, [What if it's due to the plan?]

[You think we might have been found out?]

[I…] releasing a sigh of frustration he went on, [No…There's no point in getting ahead of ourselves-]

Interrupting the conversation, Sakura heard Katsuyu's voice calling to her, "Tsunade-sama is ready."

"Thank you," centering herself she spoke, "Shishou…"

"Sakura? How was the fight?"

"It's finished for now," Sakura replied, "Orochimaru is dead."

"I see," came from the link made possible due to Katsuyu's clone, "Is anyone hurt?"

"Yes, Naruto is hurt but it's not serious," Sakura added the last part quickly to make sure her teacher didn't panic, "Shishou, Katsuyu-sama delivered a message saying you are calling us back to Konoha?"

"Yes…now that Orochimaru is finished, you are to come back to Konoha post haste."

"Baachan?" Naruto questioned, "What's going on?"

"I can't say right now. Not until you guys are back in Konoha."

"We are very close to completing the mission Shishou. I am pretty sure Kakashi-sensei can track Kabuto's scent-," Sakura supplied her own cents.

"No, as of this moment your mission has been completed," Tsunade's voice came through the link, "This is not up for negotiation. Kakashi this is an order. All of you are to return to Konoha immediately."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied promptly hearing Tsunade's tone.

"Shishou? What's-"

Interrupting Sakura once more, Tsunade went on, "Enough! This is not up for debate. You have your orders…"

Once the conversation stopped, Katsuyu spoke to the assembled crowd, "Tsunade-sama has broken the connection."

"Thank you, Katsuyu-sama," Sakura bowed her head still in shock, "We will leave for Konoha right away."

"That would be for the best, Sakura," Katsuyu replied as she de-summon herself.

"What the heck is going on?" Naruto asked out loud to no one in particular.

"We will know once we head back," Kakashi said looking uncharacteristically serious, "Sakura, how soon can we carry Naruto from here?"

"As long as he is on a gurney he should be fine," Sakura responded distractedly alarmed over Tsunade's insistence of them leaving the mission halfway.

"What?" Naruto said indignantly, "I can at least walk."

Not giving him a choice, Kakashi and Yamato each created a clone to grab both bars of the gurney to start their long journey back. Ignoring Naruto's protests Kakashi ordered, "Let's go…we have our orders."

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Arriving in Konoha the tension could be seen throughout the whole group. It didn't help that one of the members was bound by a wood technique as they walked towards the Hokage's tower. Since they had entered the village there was one thing that irked all of them. As they walked along the path to reach the Hokage's office, everyone from civilians to ninjas' were staring at them. The civilians were rather blatant about it while the ninja population was more subdued.

However, what made them even more suspicious was the sudden ANBU guard that they seemed to have gained. Even though they were all hidden not one from the group of 5 failed to notice the presence of the masked ninjas. Tensing himself Naruto grimaced as even after 2 days he was still feeling the effects of the fight with Orochimaru. He was grateful that his cells were back to normal and Kurama's chakra was slowly being circulated throughout his system. As it was all the bones in his body were healed with only the muscle pain left behind, which Sakura assured him would go after a day or two.

Noticing the tension in the village Naruto asked loudly, "What going on?"

"No idea," Kakashi replied as he tried to listen to the rumour mill around Konoha.

[You think it has something to do with the plan?] Naruto asked Sakura through the link even as they kept walking.

[Something might have gone wrong?]

[No, other explanation I can come up with,] Naruto replied looking around.

Gulping in fear Sakura asked hesitantly, [You think Shishou might have caught onto our plan?]

Shaking his head Naruto tried to think of the scenario's that would lead to, [I seriously hope not, otherwise we might be in real trouble.]

[The ANBU guard is not a good sign,] Sakura said worried as she noticed more and more people finger pointing at her. She was really worried now if they were caught it would not be easy for them to get out of it without telling anyone about their little secret. It was hard enough for them to swallow even after 3 years that somehow they were in the past. She didn't want to imagine what kind of mental institution the two of them would be dumped in if other's found out.

Arriving at the central tower in the middle of the village the five of them moved swiftly towards the Hokage's office. Noticing the way people were clearing out of their path didn't bode well for them. Reaching the door they noticed Tsunade's assistant waiting on them, "Shizune-san…What's going on?" Sakura asked as she increased her speed a little to reach her senpai.

"I am glad you are back, Sakura," Shizune smiled in relief, "I am so proud to hear what you and Naruto-kun did."

Smiling humbly Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Thanks Shizune-neechan. But do you know why we were called back so quickly?"

"I already know," Shizune nodded her head, "But Tsunade-sama will be the one to tell," Looking at the whole group she noted the binding on Sai, "Go on in, she is waiting."

Once the door closed behind them, Naruto stepped forward to get some answers, "Baachan? What's going on?"

Looking uncharacteristically serious, Tsunade started with, "First tell me about the mission."

Feeling the gravity of the situation Kakashi stepped forward, "Tsunade-sama, Naruto and Sakura were successful in finishing off Orochimaru," Pulling out a set of scrolls from his jacket he laid them on the desk, "This is what was left of his remains."

Nodding her head, Tsunade scrutinized the scroll, "I see."

"Shishou, I would like to request a chance to conduct the autopsy on the evidence," Sakura requested as she stepped forward to stand beside Naruto.

"Any specific reason?" Tsunade questioned with narrowed eyes.

"I think I might have a way to negate the curse seal."

Losing her composure, Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise, "What led to that conclusion?"

"It was his last technique before Orochimaru died," Sakura shrugged at her mentor's raised eyebrow, "I will provide you a detailed written account."

"Do that," Tsunade nodded, "You will need to do that regardless. This was an S-rank mission, you will be compensated as such," Closely observing the two teenagers near and dear to her heart, she asked, "Injuries?"

"Nothing debilitating," Sakura promptly answered, "Kakashi-sensei had minor injuries with lacerations along both arms, Yamato-taicho and Sai were minimal while Naruto and I were the most hurt."

Seeing the alarmed expression on her teacher's face she continued, "Rest assured Shishou, I have fully healed while Naruto needs a day or two before he is ready for active duty."

Nodding her head in relief, Tsunade made a mental note to debrief both of them before letting them go. Then pointing towards the bound ninja in her office, Tsunade questioned, "What happened?"

"Tsunade-sama, during the fight with Yakushi Kabuto, the spy that we were supposed to capture, Sai tried to go after Orochimaru," Kakashi responded, "I ordered Yamato to stop him as per Naruto and Sakura's requests."

"I see," Tsunade intoned with thinned lips, "And what of his reasons?"

"Assassination of Uchiha Sasuke," Yamato promptly answered.

"I see," Tsunade brought her together resting her chin on them, "He is of course sealed."

Nodding his head to show his acknowledgement Kakashi didn't bother replying as Naruto interrupted the conversation, "I was talking to him as we were coming back, Baachan."

"I don't think he is a threat anymore," He supplied crossing his arms in front of him, "I think he can be a powerful ally if you would allow him to remain in this team."

"Of course that's won't come without certain restriction," Sakura intervened as Naruto finished, "If you would allow us, Naruto and I can study the seal more extensively…maybe even remove it."

Observing Sai, she could see the fake smile on his face. A part of her was appalled at the creepy smile but she had always known that there were dark elements in Konoha. Now she was seeing the by-product of one such philosophy. She knew she would need to make a decision but not right now. She couldn't get distracted from her real goal.

"So, because of him Kabuto survived?" She questioned getting back on topic.

"Ah…no Hokage-sama," Kakashi denied with a shake of his head, "He certainly didn't help the situation but Yamato was onto him…I took on Kabuto."

Pointing his finger at the other scroll he put on her desk he continued, "That contains an arm and a leg from him," Shrugging he smiled self-deprecatingly, "I was able to do grievous harm but I couldn't kill him."

"Baachan…Why did you call us back?" Naruto queried, "We missed a great opportunity to get the Sharingan out of Oto's hands."

"I know Naruto but…" Releasing a sigh Tsunade steeled herself, "But the situation here required me to call you guys back."

Thoroughly confused at Tsunade's wording, Naruto asked, "What situation?" Looking around he could see similar expression on the rest of the people inside the room.

"Let me start from the beginning," Tsunade nodded thinking about it, "Three days after you guys left, the Daimyo secretly arrived in Konoha."

Closely observing Sakura she could see the surprise and the confusion on her face, "Once he met me the reason for the visit became clear. You see after the Princess's death, the crown is in need of an heir."

Seeing that she had their undivided attention she didn't mince words, "And there was one in Konoha," Looking straight at her apprentice she continued, "It's you, Sakura."

Blinking at the sheer absurdity of the statement, the only think she could come up with was a loud, "WHAT?"

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned thinking about the situation.

Before he could even contemplate the statement he heard Sakura's voice through the link, [This isn't what we planned.]

[I-I…What the heck happened?] Unable to come up with anything Naruto simply shook his head. He knew there was a chance that their plan would fail, he just never imagined that it would bomb so spectacularly. Hoping that there was something salvageable Naruto took a deep breath to steady himself. He needed to calm down Sakura especially considering she was on the verge of mental breakdown. He just hoped it wasn't too late for them to fix things. After all nobody said playing with time was easy.

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><p>***OMT***<p>

**_So another chapter is finished. Man this one was harder to come out for some reason. I think the one reason is the way the current manga is going. Especially the latest revelation about Orochimaru summoning the Shinigami using Uzumaki stuff. Kind of put a bummer on my mood. I mean you have a main character whose name is Uzumaki and apparently he was never made aware of anything about his lineage past the name of his parents. And now once more Sasuke comes in and bam there is a nice deus ex machina to apparently answer questions by summoning Death Gods using play masks. Ah well…_**

**_Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter…there is a lot more to come especially Sakura's eruption at their plan going boom, also you guys finding out what the plan is and how our two protagonists will cope with it. Next chapter is the outcome of how things are changing in Konoha and Fire country as a whole. Let me give you a small hint...Mount Sakura is going to erupt soon :P_**

**_Also, if you guys are worried that Naruto and Sakura didn't show everything…damn right they didn't…just as apparently Orochimaru didn't have his original arms according to the latest manga. I seriously hope the reasoning satisfied you.  
><em>**

**_Please leave a review. I really appreciate it. I have slowly started replying back so please let me know what you think._**


	9. Reluctantly Royal

_**Hey guys. Thank you very much for all the reviews. The last chapter was received very well and I am glad so many of you liked the fight. It was a fine balance between making sure Naruto and Sakura don't stomp Orochimaru, while keeping the S-rank status of the snake Sannin. So Yay!**_

_**As per this chapter, sorry about the delay. I am catching up in school from the accident last year and also going through physiotherapy, so I have been a little busy making sure my life is in order. For this chapter…for some bizarre reason I was under the impression that I already posted it. To distract myself a little I thought I would read some reviews until I saw lack of chapter 9. I really am sorry about this. I had this done a while ago but apparently forgot to post it. So here's the new chapter. I hope you have fun reading it. **_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other character I used in the chapters except for OC's but they sometimes can't be helped. So, no money was made from this as I am only writing for the sake of my pleasure to get my creative juices flowing._ **

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><p>***OMT***<p>

Numb…

That's all she felt at the moment. She wanted to rage and punch things but she knew it would come back to bite her if she let herself go. As Naruto lightly touched her arm she clenched her hand tightly to control her anger. With their plan backfiring it destroyed any chance they had of taking things at their own pace.

She wanted to find out what happened whether there was another player involved but she held herself back. She knew she wasn't objective at the moment and messing with things without a clear head would only make it worse. Once Tsunade allowed them time for Sakura to comprehend the situation she followed Naruto in a daze.

Looking around she recognized his house as he unlocked the door. Entering after him as he held open the door for her she stood in the middle of room waiting for him to activate the privacy seals. Once he set a barrier around the apartment, he held out his hand giving her a little smile. Putting her hand in his she closed her eyes feeling the displacement from his place to the hideout.

Opening her eyes she observed him taking deep breaths to calm himself from the exertion of making the jump along with her. Even though he was feeling much better the muscles in his body were still protesting the unfair treatment. 'Hiraishin' by itself was a demanding technique but the strain could be overwhelming when the person using it was not well.

Taking a deep breath to find her center she sent out a pulse of chakra looking for any traps in case their hideout was compromised. She had personally embedded the place with seals so she was pretty sure it was safe. Taking no chances she conducted her initial inspection with due diligence. Feeling confident she sent another pulse of chakra to power the seals maintaining the secrecy around the place.

Once her task was completed she laid Naruto down on the floor and healed him. As his face relaxed due to her chakra she couldn't help but feel better. It hurt her to see him in pain but his tranquil face made her imminently grateful to Tsunade for her teaching of medical Ninjutsu.

As the pain subsided, Naruto opened his eyes to scrutinize her silently. Watching her worried expression he slowly sat up to crawl behind her to rest his back against the wall pulling her towards him, "Sakura-chan..."

She just leaned back in his chest not saying anything. Feeling his arms tighten around her, she sighed looking at his thoughts through their link, "No," Sakura shook her head, "No…I am not alright."

"You can't keep worrying about it."

"Oh, I can't?" She asked sarcastically, "Because funny enough I just came from Hokage's office and found out I am apparently the Daimyo's granddaughter."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto sighed, "It's not the end of the world."

"It sure doesn't feel like that to me," she replied turning in his arms.

"Look I get it…we made a mistake," He emphasized, "But we have to move on."

"It's not that easy," Narrowing her eyes she went on, "Our plan backfired so stupidly that…that-"

"That what?" Naruto prompted, "That you became someone who will inherit the throne. You will be a damn sight better than the one in power right now."

"That wasn't our call," She said angrily, "We were only supposed to buy time."

"We still did," He replied soothingly.

"Not like this," she shook her head, "We didn't want anyone with this kind of power without a period of growth."

Naruto understood her meaning as she explained, "We kept telling ourselves that we didn't want someone like Danzo to amass power that's why we came up with this plan."

"And now you think we are being hypocritical," He outlined her unspoken words.

"But are we really?" He questioned with a shake of his head, "We didn't choose to put you in this position."

"That does not absolve us of our responsibility!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I know that…" He responded with similar passion, "I am not making any excuses. But we didn't want it. We didn't plan it. It was never about us amassing power."

"We know that but what about someone like Danzo?" She asked angrily, "There are other factions in Konoha as well that would now keep an eye on me."

"I know they would infringe upon your freedom…but we can deal with it."

Not saying anything for a while, she shuddered, "This is the part where everything might slip out of our hands."

Looking at him in anger she went on, "We could have taken over the capital anytime," She furrowed her brows, "It would have been easy but we didn't because we didn't want to entangle ourselves in politics."

"And now…what happened?" Sakura questioned fervently, "We need to look at our front and back?" Raising her finger she emphasized, "That would lead to mistakes."

"I see your point, Sakura-chan-"

"No, you still don't," She interrupted him with a self-deprecating smile, "What about when you become Hokage?"

"When it comes out that we are in a relationship…you think they would accept us easily?" She asked clenching her fists, "The throne, the army and Konoha's military under the rule of one family…"

Understanding her point of view he laid it out, "You are saying this will hurt my chances of being Hokage."

Of course there was a reason for not combining the power of Konoha's military with the Daimyo's army. Not just due to the possibility of a tyrant like Danzo ruling over everyone but the village as a whole was not mature enough to go in that direction. The Uchiha massacre occurring not due to Sandaime but on Danzo's orders was a prime example of the immaturity of Konoha's politics. It was evident that there were individuals in Konoha willing to go over Hokage's authority.

That's an heir to the throne as a kunoichi under the Hokage was a bad idea. It was fine as long as Tsunade was the leader since they knew her as a person but the position of Hokage itself was chosen not only by the Daimyo but also the Jounin council. If Tsunade ever passed on, they knew Danzo would make his play for the seat, which would lead to other complications that would expose them further.

Getting back to his wife he held her hands, "Sakura-chan, I know we wanted to avoid something like this in the first place…And I know not everything worked out but-"

"Nothing worked out."

"No," Naruto corrected with a determined voice, "Only one part failed. The rest still went somewhat according to plan."

"Oh really," She smiled bitingly, "Do explain then…what exactly went according to plan?"

Staring into her eyes, he conveyed his seriousness, "The scroll I prepared was accepted without a problem."

"Second," he continued showing two fingers, "We didn't have to make up any explanation regarding the procedure that," Making air quotes he emphasized the point, "Sandaime followed… so there is no suspicion on us."

"Third…they already took the blood sample from your parents while you were away from the village. They can't be suspicious of you since you weren't here," He finished showing three fingers.

Seeing that he was getting through to her he continued, "Then there is also the fact that both the Daimyo, his wife and your parents are all sealed. Even Inoichi-san can't go through their minds."

"And what about the part where we don't know how the plan changed?"

"That's a problem," Naruto agreed, "We don't know what happened."

Thinking on it a little he was unable to come up with anything to highlight their failure, "Okay…how about we go through the plan step by step?"

"You want to brainstorm?"

"Yeah," He concurred, "We need to break it apart…see what we are missing."

Seeing her considering it he breathed a sigh of relief. He of course wanted to discuss the plan among them but his first priority was to distract Sakura from her thoughts. He needed her to step away from her anger as it was clouding her judgement. Usually it would have been Sakura who would have sat down to divide the plan into its components and went through it meticulously. It was a testament to how shook up she was at the moment that he had to step into the role.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself she unclenched her hands. Controlling her anger she thought about Naruto's offer. They had to find some information regarding the failure and staying angry wouldn't help us. Once she had her feelings under check she replied, "Alright then, let start from the top."

With a nod of his head, Naruto started, "Okay then…our plan basically started when you contacted me in the capital after you came across the Princess's dead body."

Taking over she went on, "With no heir, we knew the Daimyo's time was limited, so we wanted someone in the way of the Daimyo being killed…essentially we wanted stability in the capital."

"I came up with a plan to prolong the Daimyo's reign by using a proxy to create a separate family related to the royal blood." Naruto came in after her.

"We used my parents especially my mother since I would have access to them anytime," She took over thinking back to the night, "If we needed to change something we would be able to adapt pretty quickly."

"We marked the Daimyo and Madam Shinji with seals to ward off an attempt from a mind probe…" He trailed off thinking about the seal.

Taking over Sakura thought back to the design of the seal, "The purpose of the seal was two-fold." Sitting back on the ground she tilted her head back, "One was to suppress anyone from going inside their head, while the other was to form a backstory for…"

Suddenly, snapping her head back into place she sat straight up, "No!"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded his head in shock, "It just hit me as well."

"But…but," Shaking her head she went on, "But he would have been 13 or 14 at most."

Staring at her, he didn't say anything for a while, "He was the Crown Prince of the Fire country," Shrugging his shoulders he continued, "Not a whole lot of people to stop him."

"What a freaking pervert," Sakura replied in disgust, "Probably wasn't even consensual."

"Might be…We don't know enough to judge, Sakura-chan."

"Yeah…," Feeling fatigued she closed her eyes, "You are right."

"What do we know about him?"

"Nothing," she shrugged, "I just remember the date of his birth…He was just a footnote in history."

Leaning back against the wall Naruto heaved a frustrated sigh. They had never met the Crown Prince since he was long dead by the time they were in leading position on Konoha's totem pole. Due to his early death the Prince hadn't done anything of value, 'It's no wonder we didn't factor this in the equation. We had no idea a complication like this existed,' he thought with weariness.

Observing her husband's thoughts she knew it was her turn to move the conversation along. It was irritating to think they were being sidelined by a dead teenager and they couldn't do anything about it. It was one of the dangers of messing around with the timeline especially when things spiralled out of control. They needed to take command of the situation now to avoid critical mistakes in the future.

"So…from what we understand," Sakura spoke as Naruto's came out of his thoughts, "The Crown Prince had a kid before he died."

"Yeah," He agreed, "And due to the way the seal placed on the Daimyo and Madam Shinji was designed, he essentially spoke the truth," Shrugging his shoulders Naruto shook his head at implausibility of the situation, "Except for the part about you being his grand-daughter."

As he finished speaking both understood the original heir was likely killed to avoid scandal. And it was just their luck that the seals they placed on both the noble's heads utilized their own experiences to create a coherent story. The whole point of the seals was to make sure the fabrication was derived from the truth to avoid unnecessary suspicion. Lying to the Hokage was not an easy thing especially if the person conveying the information did not believe in it themselves. It would be pretty easy for Tsunade to tell it apart.

That's why he planned to exploit the Daimyo's memory, where the original plan involved creating a story regarding the Daimyo's father siring a child outside of marriage. And it was supposed to be him that had begged Sandaime to take the child to Konoha.

Listening in to his thoughts Sakura intervened, "Which he would have done and that child was supposed to be my mother."

Agreeing he continued, "Since you don't have any other family on either side…your parents were good candidates."

"So, the only weak point would have been the previous Daimyo asking Sandaime to hide the child," She rubbed her eyes to ward off a headache.

"The story that the Daimyo told and the one we set up are so similar," He lingered in a daze, "Because the seal was designed to use life experience of the person tagged with it…Daimyo's father got changed to his son and your mother got changed to you."

"The rest stayed the same," He finished shrugging his shoulders.

"What about the scroll from the Sandaime?" She questioned thinking about their conversation with Tsunade.

"From Baachan's words I don't think anything changed," Remembering the night he penned the scroll he went on, "There was no date or time on the scroll."

"All it said was…with the knowledge of the Daimyo, he took the child to Konoha and gave it to a couple unable to have a child of their own."

Moving closer he held her close, "I also included the blood sample you gave me along with the story about blood transfusion to the parents of the child," Resting his forehead on top of her head he continued, "To top it off I added the family name and used the Hokage's seal to make it authentic."

"Of course," Sakura said numbly, "With no grandparents on either end there is nobody to question except for my parents."

"I can't believe the way it all lined up," He said dumbfounded, "Even the part where we didn't have to provide an explanation about how Sandaime did it all."

"Well," Sakura tilted her head thinking about it, "We know people come up with explanations for mysterious things. In this case, we just provided enough evidence for Shishou and Shizune-senpai to come up with answers that they think solve the unknown parts of the story."

Waving his head at the susceptibility of the human mind to find answers he carried on, "We are lucky your parents were not famous enough for others to know about them. They moved where they currently live from a different part of Konoha too."

Laughing sarcastically, Sakura could only shake her head in astonishment, "So, the plan to save the Daimyo from being killed by using my mother as a shield of sort turned into me being the Daimyo's grand-daughter," Moving away from Naruto's embrace she clenched her fists, "All because of a little pervert who couldn't keep his dick in his pants."

"Easy, Sakura-chan," He raised his hands to mollify her anger.

For the original plan they thought if it came out that Sakura's mother had royal blood in her then the Generals in the court would be hesitant about killing the Daimyo. It was well known that monarchies were very peculiar about having people with royal blood on the throne. The presence of a commoner with royal blood in them would halt their plans to kill the Daimyo, since doing so would have allowed Sakura's mother to inherit the throne. Taking advantage of the peculiar succession laws, he knew the Generals would want to avoid that scenario at all costs.

The same problem existed even now but Sakura's presence changed the balance of power. She was well known by the people in the capital due to the Daimyo's invitation after she participated in an S-ranked mission. She was an apprentice of the current Hokage and was brought to Konoha by Sandaime himself.

[Putting you on the team of Hatake Kakashi who was trained by the Yondaime…it almost seems like you had adequate protection the whole time even if nobody could acknowledge you as the heir,] Naruto send through the link in stunned silence at the seeming connection that come through the fabricated story.

It was eerie to think the whole thing started with a simple plan that drastically affected them while the pieces fit in perfectly. If he was honest with himself the new plan worked out better than anybody could have imagined, "Maybe, it was meant to be Sakura-chan?"

Following his line of thought even she had to pinch herself to make sure it wasn't a dream, "I…I can't seem to find words to even come up with how well it fits," Shivering slightly from the impending thoughts she warned, "But the problems will only escalate now."

Listening to her unspoken thoughts he understood since she was now considered an heir to the throne there were several people in the Daimyo's court who would oppose her status especially since nothing was known about the mother. This would create instability in the court and she would have to expend a lot of time fending off inquiries. The other matter of her being a Kunoichi of Konoha would herald the accusations of Tsunade planning the whole thing. It would directly affect them since they would have to waste a lot of time on politics.

The fact that she was a ninja might also be a point of contention for the Daimyo's army as the Samurais' might refuse to follow her orders. Lastly the hidden players within Konoha such as Danzo might take it as a ploy by Tsunade to usurp power.

"There are too many factors right now to even consider solving them," Naruto said standing up trying to clear his head, "Let's get some sleep Sakura-chan…we will think clearly after we had some rest."

Nodding her head she stood up holding his hand, "Yeah, let's sleep. Then we need to go to my parents and explain things to them."

"Sure," Naruto replied walking towards the bed, "We can't really look at the Daimyo's seal right now especially with him being surrounded by ANBU."

Forgoing the shower due to tiredness from the revelations both of them fell into bed half asleep. Holding on to Sakura tightly Naruto sent all of his love to her through their bond to calm her worries. They had a lot on their plate but as long as they had each other they knew anything was possible. Putting aside their concerns they went to the land of dreams taking comfort from each other.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Next day…

As the news about the heir to the throne of the Fire country spread through Konoha there was a sudden tension in the village. The increase in security was a visible reminder of the rumours along with the word of presence of the Daimyo. Even though Tsunade had only released information about the existence of an heir there were many factors within Konoha waiting to hear the name.

At the moment various clan heads and top shinobi within the village were heading towards meeting place of the council. Everyone knew the agenda of the gathering even though nothing was said explicitly. There was no need for it as far as Akimichi Chouza was concerned. The rumours around Konoha were enough to get the general gist now he was just waiting for the Hokage to put the rumours to rest.

Thinking about the release of information he couldn't help but be impressed by Tsunade. The news about Daimyo's unexpected arrival had people asking for the reasons behind the visit. After the debacle at the capital the consensus was on protection. But Tsunade had made sure to ward off that train of thought by releasing information about a hidden heir within the village.

Of course it still remained to be seen whether or not this was the Hokage's plan, 'It would certainly give Tsunade power if someone from Konoha, especially a Shinobi was an heir to the throne.'

If the Hokage was providing protection to the Daimyo it was a good opportunity to control the capital from behind the scenes by being a shadow ruler. Hindering that line of thought was the announcement of an heir which required Tsunade to put in political capital to fight off opponents from within Konoha. The adversaries from the capital was a whole another set of problems that he couldn't see Tsunade agreeing to put up with.

Before he could contemplate it any further he felt Tsume's presence beside him, "What have you in such a deep thought?"

Spreading his hands he waved at the room, "About all this…If I remember correctly this room hasn't been used since the last war."

"You are correct," Aburame Shibi cut in, "It has been a while."

"Not to mention the ninja and the civilian sides are both present at the same time," Inuzuka Tsume finished.

"Yeah," Chouza replied with seriousness, "So, what do you think about the meeting?"

"With the speculation around the village…" Tsume scoffed, "What else could it be about?"

"Any idea on the identity?" Chouza asked in a low voice.

"I have my suspicions," Shibi uttered.

"Hokage-sama has been careful about the identity of the person," The Inuzuka matriarch spoke looking around the room, "Guess we won't have to wait long now."

"Yeah," The Akimichi clan head nodded, "I do wonder who it will be."

"The timing doesn't seem suspicious to you?" Tsume asked with narrowed eyes.

Nodding his head, Shibi replied, "Of course…especially with civil war in the capital."

Remembering the last mission Kiba had at the capital Tsume turned her head towards the Akimichi patriarch, "How is Chouji-kun now?"

"He is well…almost fully healed," Chouza replied with relief evident on his face, "He will back to full health in another day or two."

"That's good news," Shibi stated with uncharacteristic somberness in his voice, "Do let him know that he is always welcome in our home. We are thankful to him."

"That we are," Tsume showed her support as well, "Our door is always open to your family Chouza…Kiba is in his debt."

"Thank you," Chouza replied with a small smile tinged with pride, "I will let him know. I am just glad that the kids were able to work together and keep themselves alive."

Staring at Inoichi's seat he went on, "I am grateful to Ino-chan as well. I heard that she kept him alive until Sakura was able to help her."

"We are lucky to have Tsunade-sama," The bug user stated going back to his monotone voice, "The future of Medical Ninjutsu looks bright."

"We should have a celebration with all of them," Tsume laid out an idea, "I have to thank Naruto and Sakura as well. They saved Kiba and Akamaru's life."

"That's not a bad idea," Chouza agreed thinking about throwing a party. As the last of the stragglers arrived in the chamber the ANBU closed off the front door.

Observing the room Chouza saw majority of the seats being filled, with a few missing its occupants such as the head of the Uchiha clan. Though everybody knew the clan was almost extinct and the last Uchiha had turned traitor the seat was still allowed to remain out of respect for the clan's service to Konoha. With the empty chairs beside his he noted the absence of his previous teammates Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.

Hearing the back door open he stood up along with the other people in the chamber as the ANBU commander walked in along with the Captain of Intelligence division, Yamanaka Inoichi. After him came the Jounin commander Nara Shikaku followed by the Hokage of Konoha with her aid Shizune. At Tsunade's signal as everyone took their seats Inochi and Shikaku along with the ANBU commander opted to remain standing.

After the formalities were out of the way, Tsunade rose from her seat to address the council, "I know many of you are wondering about the rumours going around the village?"

At the agreement from the council, Tsunade smirked a little thinking about the news she was going to deliver, "Before that I have an announcement to make."

Knowing she had the attention of the chamber, centering herself she spoke, "One week ago I sent a team to Grass country to capture an Akatsuki agent who was spying on Orochimaru."

The unexpected topic surprised the majority of the council, "The team had to engage Orochimaru since he turned out to be waiting in the shadows."

As the civilians leaned forward in anticipation, she noted the straightened shoulders of majority of the ninja. The dangers of engaging someone of Orochimaru's caliber was well known among the shinobi populace. Most of them knew if they had to fight the Snake, the chances of coming back alive were very slim. So for a team to engage Orochimaru the likelihood of survival was not good.

Without any pretenses Tsunade stoically gazed at the council, "And I am very happy to report that Orochimaru is dead."

Eyeing the assembly of people she could see stunned visages throughout the room as she waited for the inevitable questions. She knew it was a lot to take in since Orochimaru was one of the boogeyman of Konoha. Before everyone could start asking their questions, Hyuuga Hiashi stood up from his seat, "Hokage-sama if I have your permission then I would like to ask the question that is on everyone's mind."

"About the identity of the people who killed Orochimaru?" She asked with a thankful smile knowing Hiashi stood up to ward off the questions from the civilian side.

Indicating him to take his seat Tsunade gazed at the chamber, "I will not keep you in suspense anymore."

Holding her head proudly she explained, "I sent out Team Kakashi to capture the spy. Of them Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura engaged the traitor and killed him."

Siting back in his seat Chouza was stunned as he reflected on the fact that two 15 year old teenagers took out a genius level Shinobi who was responsible for the death of Sandaime Hokage. He had a hard time believing that they were the same age as his son who he knew was not ready to face someone of Orochimaru's level.

Reflecting on the difference in strength the two teenagers had compared to the rest of their generation he gazed at his teammates standing behind Tsunade. He could see acceptance and a bit of shock behind Inoichi's eyes which led him to believe that he had taken some time to digest the information. For Chouza that was enough to know that there was something else going on if the Captain of the Intelligence division was informed just prior to the meeting.

Reading Shikaku's facial expression Chouza saw pride mixed in with acceptance of the news, which meant he was aware of it beforehand as well. Nevertheless, there was something in his eyes that gave him pause. It was one of those expressions where he wasn't smug but happy with himself. He hadn't seen that expression on his friend's face for quite a while so Naruto and Sakura must have done something to make him feel this way.

He reminded himself to ask Shikaku about it as one of the elders stood up, "And what were the other three doing? I thought you sent out a team of five?"

Seeing as she had the attention of the chamber on herself Tsunade sat down in her seat before looking at Koharu. It was important that she convey this part very clearly to show the seriousness of the situation.

"From their debrief it seems our hunch was correct as Yakushi Kabuto did turn out to be the spy. So, Hatake Kakashi took him on personally," She replied with seriousness, "But it seems even without an arm and a leg he was able to escape."

Facing the chamber she declared, "Rest assured we will not rest until that traitor is put down as well," Turning her head to the elders, she shook her head, "As per the other two…I can't say anything. It's an ongoing investigation."

She saw the single narrowed eye of Danzo but didn't give him the satisfaction of even acknowledging the fact. It was much better for her to keep him in the dark then to provide any sort of explanation. As long as he stumbled in the dark about his student's whereabouts Tsunade could rest easy. She just hoped her gamble paid off as she expected otherwise she would have to confront Danzo a lot sooner.

"Anyway, I thought it prudent to make you all aware of the fact that the 'Sannin' are no more," Making sure her point came across she elaborated, "We are at the stage where no more traitors will be tolerated. Spread the word throughout the village…if anyone even dares to betray us they will find out the hard way why we are at the top of the food chain."

"Here…Here," Rang out throughout the chamber as Shinobi and civilian alike pounded fists on the desks in front of them.

With the rhythmic thumping inside the chamber Chouza saw Tsunade taking charge of the chamber after a really long time. He remembered the Kyuubi attack affecting Sandaime as the council meetings were never the same. At first when Tsunade came to power he had seen her drive but the three years since had seemed to rob her of it.

'Naruto and Sakura are providing her with hope,' He thought with a happy smile. The presence of high ranking ninja in the village increased their capacity to conduct missions and gave moral to the citizens if the chamber was any indication. It also bolstered Tsunade's confidence lighting the fire within her once more, 'If this is what the two of them are capable of, I can't wait to see how far Konoha will go when the rest of the generation takes over.'

At the happy expressions of the Shinobi and civilians alike, Tsunade raised her hand grabbing their attention, "I know this is a joyous occasion and we will have a celebration in the honor of the fallen at Orochimaru's hands along with commemorating the new generation."

"But…now is not the time to get complacent," Bearing her serious expression she went on, "Our country just went through a civil war in the capital. The life of our Daimyo was in danger."

As the chamber sobered up she rammed the point home, "We have apprehended the traitor. I am happy to report that Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto played a big part in not only gathering intelligence but relating it to their commander Hatake Kakashi in time to capture the High General."

As whispers broke out Tsunade continued, "If that's not enough both of them also made sure to protect the heirs of Inuzuka, Aburame, Hyuuga, Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka clan whose lives might I add…were in danger while they were protecting the Daimyo and Madam Shinji."

At the mention of their respected clan, and the way Tsunade was embossing the role of the teenagers almost confirmed for Chouza that something else was afoot. Turning his head he saw the Inuzuka matriarch had reached the same conclusion. Gazing at his friends behind the Hokage he found both of them staring straight ahead. It was a telltale mark that they knew something he was not privy to at the moment.

Observing the elder's faces put a smile on Tsume's face as it was clear they were hearing the information for the first time as well. It also pointed to the fact that they must not have met the Daimyo despite his presence in Konoha.

'Tsunade-sama is being extremely cautious if she was able to hide secrets from the political might of Konoha's elders,' Tsume thought with an amused expression on her face.

When Tsunade had mentioned the clan heirs and their part during the mission to the capital she knew the blonde Hokage had an agenda. The way Naruto and Sakura were being lauded also seemed strange to her since it wasn't the first time that clan heirs were part of teams that were in danger of dying they were ninja and acceptance of death was part of the clan teachings.

Getting out of her thoughts she saw Tsunade raise her hand once again as the chamber quietened, "You might be wondering why exactly I am telling you this. There is a very specific reason for it."

"I am sure many of you are aware of the presence of the Daimyo in Konoha right now," She stated the obvious, "However, what you might not be aware of is the reason behind his visit."

Of course it was a load of baloney since she had made sure the talk about the heir to the throne was leaked from her office. It was the talk of the town but appearances had to be maintained, "During the attack on the capital evidence about the death of the Crown Prince was uncovered."

"It has come to our attention that his death was no accident but premeditated murder," Hearing the gasps from the council she carried on, "The person responsible was none other than the High General."

Inwardly smiling at the pin drop silence in the room she eyed the various faces around the chamber. She knew she had the civilians on her side from their expressions, "During the investigation conducted after the attack it was found, he not only plotted against the current Daimyo but killed the Crown Prince as well."

The clan heads were reserving judgement until they heard everything. It helped her side that most of the clan heirs were present at the capital but had not been part of the clean-up crew. As such they wouldn't be able to deny anything but just in case she had Kakashi and Yamato ready if they needed to be called as witnesses.

"For his transgressions the High General has been put to death," Watching the nods around her she kept her face stoic as she announced the next part, "Before he died he revealed a secret that has far reaching consequences for this country."

"It has come to our attention…Before his death the Crown Prince sired an heir," At the mention of the heir she knew she had everyone's attention, "And she was brought to Konoha by Sandaime Hokage around 15 years ago."

With the revelation there was a sudden rise in volume as the rumour around Konoha turned out to be true. Looking around she saw the suspicion on the faces of clan heads along with the elders. Knowing that she needed to keep control of the situation she raised her hand, "I know you have a lot of questions but I would like you to listen to the whole story first. It would save us a lot of time."

As the conversations died down Tsunade held out her hand for Shikaku to place a scroll in it, "This scroll was signed by the Sandaime Hokage. I have personally verified its authenticity but to provide another set of proof, I had the Jounin and the ANBU commanders look through it."

At the mention of his part, the ANBU commander stepped forward, "I have personally conducted every possible test there is to analyse the paper, the ink along with any possible chakra residues that would create any doubt towards its legitimacy."

Looking around the council room he spoke in a monotone, "Through forensic analysis I can report that the scroll is authentic as used by Konoha for the highest levels of classified documents."

When the ANBU commander stepped back, Shikaku stepped forward. His posture oozed laziness but anyone present could see alertness in his eyes, "Hokage-sama asked me to go through the scroll line by line to see if there was any sign of forgery."

"I have used every known technique to find anything that would point towards falsification of the scroll," Staring at the chamber he clarified, "The scroll is 100 percent authentic."

"I have compared it to Sandaime's previous scrolls. There was nothing amiss…from the length of the signatures, to the small breaks in writing, ink blots or shaky lines. Even at the microscopic level the hand writing matched," Sighing he looked around, "It might be troublesome to believe but the scroll is genuine." He finished by stepping back.

Taking over from Shikaku, Tsunade spoke once more, "As you just heard the three of us have verified the scroll and I have no doubt in my mind that Sandaime Hokage penned it."

"So imagine my surprise when I read the scroll and found out that the Crown Prince begged Sandaime to take the child to Konoha," Surveying the chamber she went on, "At the behest of the High General."

As whispers broke out in the chamber Tsunade took stock of the situation. Shikaku had advised her to use the High General as a scapegoat for people's anger, "The High General used the Prince's inexperience in politics and the death of the child's mother during birth to scare him into thinking that the Daimyo would not approve of his daughter."

Hearing the gasp at the mention of the gender of the child she rested her chin on the back of her hand, "The High General used the Crown Prince's insecurities to become his confidante and provided the suggestion of asking Sandaime to hide the child."

Observing the Shinobi she saw many of them deduce her next words but she wanted the civilians on her side as well, "At no time was the Daimyo aware of any of this."

"The High General contacted the Hokage since he knew Sensei abhorred killing children," She smiled sadly remembering her teacher's reluctance, "Once Sandaime heard the story he agreed to hide the child and brought her to Konoha."

Leaning back with a sigh she closed her eyes for a moment. The Daimyo's name had to remain clear at all times to make sure his reputation wasn't tarnished. Even if there were rumours about the court killing illegitimate children as long as there was no proof nobody would say anything.

Opening her eyes she continued, "Before he took the child to Konoha, Sensei wrote a letter to the Daimyo to keep him bereft of the situation."

"He was under the impression that the High General was acting on behalf of the Daimyo," Pausing a little to emphasize the point she took stock of her audience, "But the High General never informed the Daimyo."

"He hid the truth from everyone…along with the scroll," Raising the scroll she showed it to the audience, "This particular scroll."

"All of this came out during the interrogation and once Daimyo found out about it he personally recovered the scroll from the traitor's house," Softening her tone she finished, "And came here immediately to meet his grand-daughter."

"You must be wondering about the reasons for the treason of High General," Changing tactics, Tsunade put the question out there. Seeing the nods she spoke, "During the investigation on the night of the attack Haruno Sakura interrogated the aide to the High General."

"From there we had a general idea but since then we have uncovered that High General wanted the throne. To that end he not only killed the child's mother during birth but murdered the Crown Prince as well."

As people in the chamber started to talk Tsunade raised her voice to override them, "The death of the Crown Prince was no accident. The saddle was compromised from the beginning."

"So, the Crown Prince was killed to keep the word about an heir to the throne a secret?" Danzo asked with an obvious frown staring at Tsunade.

Closely watching Danzo's disbelief at her words she turned her head to look around the room, "Yes…he knew the presence of an heir would jeopardize his chances. So he killed off the Prince to stop word from getting out."

"Then during the attack at the capital he had the Crown Princess killed as well. Luckily we had Shinobi in the capital who protected the Daimyo," Not giving anyone else a chance to ask another question she went on, "As you can imagine the knowledge of the heir to the Fire country was almost lost."

Lifting her finger she stressed "Except for one person in Konoha. The Sandaime Hokage made sure even if no one knew about it…the grand-daughter of the Daimyo was always protected."

"She was given to two civilians who were trying to have a child of their own," Leaning forward once more she folded her hands in front of her, "He made sure to change the blood of the parents along with facial reconstruction to ward off suspicion."

"I have personally checked the medical side and it is all consistent with Sensei's explanation in the scroll," She said indicating the scroll with her head, "To protect the child he moved the parents from slums to a better part of Konoha. Gave them well-paying jobs."

"And," Here she hung on to the word before continuing, "Once the child was old enough enrolled her in the academy."

At the mention of the academy everyone particularly the clan heads sat up, "I see many of you understand. To the rest who are wondering Sandaime made sure she was able to protect herself by becoming a Kunoichi of Konoha."

Hearing the admission from her Hokage, Tsume almost stood up from her seat. If she was to believe the whole charade then she had figured out the person whom Tsunade was talking about. She had a hard time believing that they were in the presence of royalty the whole time.

Leaning forward she raised her voice to be heard over other conversations. Observing the other clan heads she saw them reaching the same conclusion, "Tsunade-sama…if the child was brought to Konoha 15 years ago wouldn't she be part of this batch of graduates?"

Inwardly smirking Tsunade stared at the Inuzuka matriarch, "Precisely…"

Standing up she noticed the silence permeating around the room. Facing the Shinobi and the civilian council she elaborated, "The person I am talking about…the heir to the throne of the Fire Country is none other than Jounin of Konoha, Haruno Sakura."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Akatsuki Base…Amegakure

Standing in the dark the current members of Akatsuki were gathered in one place. While waiting for their leader to arrive, the members noted the oppressive pressure permeating the room. Watching his surroundings with a calm face, Uchiha Itachi seemed relax standing in the room with other S-ranked ninja.

Under his robe he was tightly wound knowing the reason behind the domineering pressure in the room. Standing still to not attract attention he concentrated on being ready in case of an unexpected attack. There were many things he was capable of but facing someone of Madara's caliber was still out of his reach even with the downfall of the once great shinobi.

At the moment from what he could deduce the masked man was angry, 'It might be the motive behind this meeting.'

It was unusual for everyone to gather in one place so soon after they extracted the Yonbi from Iwagakure's Jinchuuriki. He knew Zetsu must have uncovered some disturbing information likely to cause problems for Akatsuki. Sensing the arrival of the leader or at least the make believe one he got out of his musing as the person with the Rinnegan spoke.

"This week we have gained some disturbing information," looking around the members he nodded to Zetsu, "Inform them."

Stepping in the middle of the gathered members, "**Orochimaru is dead**," spoke the dark half.

"What?" Deidara asked in surprise, "I wanted to kill him."

"So who killed the snake?" Kisame asked showing his teeth.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura," The white Zetsu replied, "There wasn't even a single piece of evidence left behind."

"Well, well…what do you know," Kisame smiled even more as he looked at Deidara, "Seems you were lucky to come out of it alive."

"You want to find out how lucky my art is?" Deidara threatened with hands in the clay.

"Enough!" Pein intoned, "This is a serious matter. We have underestimated the ability of the Kyuubi Jinchuurki."

"Let me go after the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. I have a score to settle with him, hm," he stared straight at the leader, "I will take care of the nuisance."

"Wait…" Zetsu interrupted Deidara, "before you start going about getting your revenge. There is more information."

Before he could speak his dark half interrupted him, "**Heh…you all will find the next one interesting**."

"Yeah," The white half agreed, "It seems Mizu has made a new Jinchuuriki." As the oppressive pressure inside the room increased everyone readied themselves for the attack before the spell was broken by Zetsu, "We do not know who the Jinchuuriki is but there is no sign of Sanbi where it was supposed to be."

"Yeah," Deidara replied wondering why Tobi was being so quiet, "When Tobi and I went there…the lake was empty."

"Heh…" Kisame smirked, "Mist must have stabilized if the new Mizukage allowed a Jinchuuriki to be made."

"This is problematic for us," Zetsu intoned, "They are keeping very quiet. I haven't been able to find anything about the Jinchuuriki."

"Mizu must be taking our threat very seriously," Kakuzu cut in hearing the situation, "If Water country is stabilizing then I need to take care of a lot of bounties quickly."

"Oh shut up!" Hidan spoke irritably, "You miserable money grabbing bastard. We have more important things to do then go after a few small prey."

"You want me to send you to your god, Hidan?" Kakuzu glared at his partner, "I can get a lot of money for your carcass."

Before Hidan could reply back, they were interrupted by black Zetsu, "**What a waste that would be. At least when I eat him it would help us**."

"Yeah," Agreeing with his other half, the white Zetsu went on, "There is news out of Fire Country as well."

"Oh?" Deidara questioned as the nation of his target was suddenly heard.

"What is it with this week?" Kakuzu questioned in surprise, "So many things happened in such a short time?"

"It seems the capital of the Fire Country just went through a civil war a week or so ago," Not deeming to provide Kakuzu an answer Zetsu went on, "Though the fight ended in a single night…Team Kakashi was an instrumental part of it."

"Wow, Itachi-san," Kisame asked, "What is with your village? It seems to churn out quite a few strong people."

"**Yeah**," The dark half of the plant man concurred before falling silent, "The Fire Daimyo has gone to Konoha to apparently find his hidden heir in the village."

"Hidden heir?" Itachi questioned utterly surprised with the development.

"Yeah…" Zetsu shrugged, "I haven't been able to find more about it yet."

"I see," Itachi intoned going silent.

Keeping a particular eye on the masked man due to the overbearing pressure, Pein observed the rest of his subordinates. It seems the news about the Village hidden in the Mist making a new Jinchuuriki really annoyed the masked man as silence settled in the chamber. Pein was worried as well since Zetsu was unable to find the identity of the individual harboring the beast.

Still he knew it was only a matter of time before the plant man unearthed new information, "You can now see why you were all called here."

"If that's all," Hidan said sarcastically, "Then I have wasted enough time. I need to present a few heathens to Jashin-sama."

"You both will capture the Nibi Jinchuurki," Pein ordered Hidan and Kakuzu. Turning towards Itachi and Kisame he called out, "The two of you will capture Gobi. Zetsu will give you the coordinates."

"Tobi and Deidara will go after Rokubi," Seeing that Deidara was going to interrupt he stopped him with a glare, "We can't have Rokubi falling back into Kirigakure's hands."

Seeing the glare Deidara nodded his head, "Fine…but after we are done I will go after Uzumaki."

"Zetsu find out information about the new Jinchuurki," Facing the rest he intoned, "We can't afford to be distracted. Before the nations become guarded I want the Jinchuurki captured."

"Do not forget your roles," Nodding his head he dismissed them, "You have your orders…get to them."

Once they were dismissed the rest of the people started to leave slowly. Standing at his place Pein saw Hidan and Kakuzu walking out arguing about God and money the whole time. In contrast Itachi and Kisame were silent almost as if enjoying the view.

Before he could move from his place he felt movement behind his head, "Find out the identity of the new Jinchuuriki," a voice whispered like a ghost before the person was gone. Narrowing his eyes at the technique Pein turned around and walked out of the cave.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Coming out of the bath Sakura sensed the barrier surrounding the hideout. She wanted to make sure it was working as she had designed. Finding it at optimum level she looked around breathing in the peace and serenity the place provided. While Naruto was out training with Jiraiya on his three year journey she had chosen this location very carefully. It was strategically placed out of the village but the distance wasn't so far away that they couldn't reach the village quickly.

The main reason behind the hideout was to have their own operation centre. The place was so heavily guarded with seals she didn't think there was anyone in the world that could bypass security. However, just because the possibility of anyone getting through the seals was low did not mean that their hideout couldn't be found.

If she had learned anything from the previous timeline it was that life always threw curveballs. The best thing she could do for such a case was to prepare in advance and then deal with the situation. Getting back to observing the place she thought back to the time when she searched the village and the surrounding areas. In the end though she took the idea from the Uzumaki Temple outside of the village.

As the smell of food floated in the air she turned to walk towards the kitchen. Watching Naruto prepare the dishes she had a hard time keeping herself in check. Though she didn't know if it was because of the hunger due to the missed meal last night or was it because a shirtless Naruto making brunch was tickling her funny bone.

Wrapping her arms around him from the back Sakura breathed in his scent. Mixed with the smell of the food she felt like losing herself. As he pried her hands from his chest she allowed him to turn around before standing on her tip toes and kissing him for all he was worth.

Breaking the kiss Naruto smiled slightly, "You look beautiful, Sakura-chan."

Hearing him she whispered in reply, "If I wasn't so hungry I would have so had my way with you."

Chuckling at her words he held her even closer, "I am game…" Then taking a deep breath he stepped back, "You don't understand how hard it is for me to hold myself back."

Happy at his words she gave him a teasing smile, "You think I am pretty."

Laughing a little at the childishness, he gave her one more kiss, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."

Blushing at her husband's statement, Sakura shook her head. Even if it was not literally true hearing the sincerity and conviction in his voice she couldn't help the speeding of her heart. No matter how many years she had lived, she felt a flutter deep within her. She knew only Naruto was capable of doing that to her and it made things alright in her world. She appreciated the fact even if the whole world was against her there was one person who would never leave her.

"Baka," She lovingly turned around to ward off embarrassment, "You shouldn't say stuff like that…gives a girl the wrong impression."

Watching her cheeks tinged with a hint of red he chuckled, "I always mean it Sakura-chan…I love you."

Twisting her neck she looked him in the eyes, "Love you too…I love you more than I can say."

Giving her a serene smile he pointed towards the bedroom, "While you are getting ready I will set the table."

Wearing her regular clothes she draped her haori on the back of the chair, "It all looks delicious."

Smiling at her as she sat down Naruto took the lids off the dishes, "We will start with Miso," Pouring her a bowl of soup he pointed at the other tableware, "Then we have rice, fish, some vegetables and last but not the least…God's food Ramen."

"Of course," she deadpanned while having her soup.

Snickering at her expression he focussed on eating his brunch, "So…what's the plan?"

While eating her food she sighed a little, "I think…it's time I face my parents."

"What's there to face Sakura-chan?" He questioned, "They are still your parents…nobody can disprove that."

Bobbing her head in agreement she gave him a grateful smile, "I know…I wonder what their reaction would be."

Before he could say anything he heard her speaking once more, "Though I don't get why you aren't worried. They are your in-laws."

"Worried?" He amusedly asked, "I know you and I know your parents," Shrugging he went on, "I think it will work out fine."

"Ah," She smirked, "But you are forgetting one thing. This time…due to our mistake the Daimyo of the Fire Country is also your in-law."

Grimacing at the surprised reminder he acknowledged, "Yeah…forgot about that part."

"I wonder what sort of uproar we will raise in Konoha and the Fire country when truth about our relationship comes out."

"As long as we are together…does it really matter?" He shrugged, "I could care less about their reaction. It's not their decision."

Shaking her head at his dismissal of the argument she went back to the original question, "We need to find a place for my parents."

As her current residence was connected on either side to the rest of the apartment block Naruto understood her dilemma. The place was a nightmare for the ANBU guarding her parents. It was one of the main reasons Tsunade sent her parents to the hotel where members of ANBU could provide effective protection.

Their hideout was out of the way since they didn't want to undermine the security as ANBU would have to know about it as well. Thinking on it a little more he sat up straight as an idea came to him, "What about we have a new place built for them?"

"New Place?" She questioned.

"They are your parents, Sakura-chan," Shrugging a little he went on, "They will need security around them."

Pulling a face Sakura finished her breakfast, "You want to use some of the money from the S-rank missions to build it?"

"Yeah."

Sighing she agreed, "Our projects would lag behind."

"We can make it up with other missions," he replied with a smile, "And for the time being they can stay at my place."

It was an ideal solution since her parents could stay on the top floor of Naruto's place. It would also make it easier for ANBU to keep an eye on them. Even though it was a sound idea a part of Sakura was hesitating. Last time when her parents met Naruto he was already a hero of the Fourth ninja war. Not only was he considered one of the strongest shinobi in the world he was also the Hokage of Konoha.

This time things were different and she worried that they might hold negative views towards him, [It will be fine Sakura-chan. We can deal with it.]

As Naruto interrupted her train of thought she vehemently shook her head, "I am worried about myself. If they disrespect you-"

"You won't do anything…except for talking," He replied with seriousness, "I don't want to come between you and your parents."

Smiling at his concern she tried to reassure him, "First of all I will talk but make no mistake…if they don't understand…there is no choice."

"Sakura-chan-"

"No," She emphasized, "Together we will work towards changing their mind if we have to but we will not separate."

Finishing her breakfast she got up from her seat, "When we got married we promised we will be together till our last breath. It doesn't matter whether we are in the past, present or future we won't break that promise," Taking his hands in hers she continued, "We are connected with more than red string of fate. So, no matter what happens…nobody will ever come between us."

Hearing her declaration Naruto wrapped his arms around her, "I just…don't want you to choose Sakura-chan. I want us to become a family like last time."

Burrowing herself in his chest she held onto him tightly, "We will," Looking up into his eyes she sent her love through the link, "Together we will change the world…my parents are only two individuals."

Smiling at her words Naruto bent his head down to kiss her. He wanted to show her how much her words meant to him. He knew they were taking a big risk but the situation demanded it. If Sakura would have to deal with politics then she needed to make sure her baggage was tightly bundled up so that her opponents couldn't take advantage of it.

Stepping back a little he hinted towards the door, "Shall we leave?"

"No," Sakura replied immediately, "We still have one thing to discuss."

"What?"

Folding her hands in front of her chest she looked him in the eyes, "What happened during the fight with Orochimaru?"

Pulling a face at the abrupt change in topic, Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "I was hoping you might forget about that."

At the raised eyebrow he raised his hands in a conciliatory fashion, "I know…" Taking a deep breath he shrugged, "What do you want me to say Sakura-chan? The snake's poison attacked me so quickly that my chakra was down to zero."

"I know that. What I want to know is why you lost control. I thought Kurama was working with you."

Before he could answer the question both of them felt the pull from the bond. Letting go they found themselves in front of the nine tailed fox, "**Him losing control would partly be my fault.**"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked surprised.

"**The bond we share**," Kurama indicated between Naruto and himself, "**It's a two way bond**."

"So, when my chakra got dangerously low I was essentially leaving my part up to him," Naruto finished sitting down in the mindscape.

"Is chakra the only conduit between you two?" She asked surprised by the revelation. She always thought that both of them were melded through the merging of their soul.

"**Yeah…Chakra is the only thing binding our bond together**," The towering beast agreed, "**We can do a lot of things with our combined chakra but there is one very important aspect of the bond**."

"**When I say a two way bond…I mean that without your chakra Naruto my chakra can't be your trump card**," He emphasized, "**As long as you are there with your part of the deal we can do anything.**"

"Without chakra we can't survive Kurama," Sakura pointed out, "So when Naruto was using your chakra during the fight you should have been able to balance it."

"No…" Naruto stopped Kurama from answering the question, "I wasn't just running low on chakra Sakura-chan…I was literally out of chakra."

Nodding his head Kurama went on, "**I was the only thing keeping him alive**."

Glaring at her husband Sakura clenched her fists, "Then why the heck did you join the fight?"

"I told you before didn't I?" He replied seriously, "I am not leaving you…We will fight together, live together and if need be then die together."

"There was no point in putting yourself in danger," She pointed out angrily, "I could have taken care of Orochimaru."

"I know, Sakura-chan. I am not doubting your ability but there is no way I was going to let you fight that snake alone."

Gathering herself before she could explode Sakura took a deep breath. Looking Naruto in the eyes she intoned, "This is not over. We will talk more once we get a chance."

"Fine."

Taking her mind of her anger she turned towards Kurama, "So, if you were not actively fighting with Naruto then why was your chakra corrosive to him?"

"**That's because no matter how much I control it my chakra is more powerful than any human**," He pointed out, "**With the seal open Naruto filters the harmful effects of my chakra but without his chakra he can't do anything. Even though the effects are not detrimental right when he used my chakra…over time the accumulation and chakra poisoning injured him**. "

"So…it all comes down to the construction of the bond through chakra," She thought aloud to herself.

"**That's right**," Kurama concurred, "**If he had even a little chakra left I would have taken care of the rest**."

"So the aggressiveness came from your chakra as well?"

"**Partly...The amount of pain he was in loosened his inhibitions**," Flicking Naruto with one of his tails Kurama continued, "**You and I both know about his temper. As he has grown he can control it but during that time pain overrode that control**."

"Oye!" Naruto exclaimed rubbing his head, "Your tails can destroy mountains…My neck is a bit delicate."

Then looking at Sakura he smiled a little, "Now do you get why we lost control?"

"I allowed my anger to cloud my judgement and used Kurama's power," He smiled self-deprecatingly, "He was trying to fight me the whole time but I superseded him."

Thinking about it a little Sakura went towards Naruto and gave him a hug, "You need to start thinking of something to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"**It's a prime example of things surprising you even if you have lived longer than the rest of your species**," Kurama added to Sakura's point.

Agreeing with the giant beast, Sakura lined out the next step, "And I need to analyze the poison to counter the effects in case we face something like it in the future,"

"We also need to work on Orochimaru's body," Naruto reminded her, "We can at least neutralize the curse seal…make sure Anko's is fully neutralized."

"Yeah," She nodded, "At least block the Snake's pathway of coming back to this realm."

"Too bad we missed our chance with Sasuke," Naruto replied feeling irritation, "Could have ruined quite a few of Obito's plans."

"We will get our chance. I do wonder how Sasuke-kun is going about without Orochimaru around."

"You think he will organize Taka once more?" Naruto asked thinking about it from their past experience.

"It's very likely," She concurred, "In fact I would bet money on it."

"We need to stop the confrontation between Itachi and Sasuke."

Thinking along the same line of thought Sakura agreed with Naruto's assessment. Knowing that Uchiha gain power through ill-tempered mental predisposition towards hatred meant they had to stop the confrontation from happening. The main question they had was how?

They needed a mission that would allow either Uchiha Itachi to die a peaceful death without Sasuke gaining power or kill off Sasuke to either grant Itachi a chance to revive the clan or if he so wished kill him. If both Uchiha's could be persuaded to come back to the village without bloodshed that would be the ideal solution since it would essentially take away two resources from Obito.

"We need to talk to Tsunade-sama."

"Then let's go there now," Naruto replied, "It's already past noon. The council meeting would have ended. It's high time we get your parents as well."

"Yeah," Nodding her head she turned towards the fox, "See you later Kurama."

"**Next time**," Kurama stopped them from leaving, "**You should visit Isoku as well**."

"I intend to," Sakura responded with a smile, "As things settle down we will think of something to keep him company."

Exiting the mindscape both of them found themselves in the hideout. Grabbing the tableware they cleaned the dishes while cataloging things they needed to complete before the day was over. At the top of the list was the meeting with Tsunade and Sakura's parents.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Arriving at the Hokage tower in the middle of the village both of them made sure they kept walking towards the Hokage's office. Taking the long way to enter the village after leaving their hideout they took stock of the situation within the village. Through the shadows they saw people talking about Sakura and her identity as the heir to the throne. Knowing there was a chance of causing a riot if she appeared in the middle of the street both of them remained unseen.

Going inside the tower Sakura got a sense of déjà vu as people started bowing to her. It reminded her of their past life when they used to be the oldest humans alive. Considering they were also two of the strongest to ever live made sure they were known throughout the world.

[Reminds you of the past doesn't it?] Naruto asked her through the link.

[It's surreal,] She replied with a tinge of worry. She was never very comfortable with all the bowing people did in front of her. After 3 years of anonymity it was hard to let her guard down.

As they reached the office Sakura heard Shizune's voice, "Sakura?"

Breathing a sigh of relief she sped up a little, "Senpai…Thank god you are here."

Watching her Kouhai with an amused expression Shizune shook her head. Most people would be over the moon to be the Princess of a country but Sakura seemed to have other ideas regarding her new found fame. She knew Sakura had left the Hokage's office in a rage of anger after Tsunade told her the news. Any doubts she had regarding her Kouhai's involvement to be declared an heir to the throne went away the minute she saw the taut muscles under her haori.

Sakura was wound so tight that Shizune was afraid the slightest hint of noise would throw her on edge. Naruto it seemed was faring a bit better though he was coiled like a spring as well acting as Sakura's bodyguard. Seeing the camaraderie between the two Shizune smiled in fond remembrance aware of Naruto's crush on his teammate. Watching Sakura lean unconsciously towards him made her wonder about their future.

Getting back to the two, she asked, "How are you feeling now, Naruto-kun?"

"Feeling much better Shizune nee-chan," He rolled his shoulders, "The pain is way down. I think by tomorrow I might be fully healed."

Sighing in exasperation at his antics she berated him, "Leave your shoulders alone, Naruto-kun," Raising her finger in warning she continued, "And no training or practice or any mission for the whole week."

"What?"

Turning towards her Kouhai she ordered, "That goes for you as well. I know you were not as hurt but you have many things to take care of including him," She added with amusement, "So, I don't want to hear about either of you training at all."

"Oh come on Shizune-neechan," Naruto whined, "That's not fair."

"I never said anything about being fair. That's an order for both of you."

"Of course, Senpai," Sakura bowed in understanding, "I don't mind following your orders," She replied purposefully avoiding Naruto's betrayed eyes.

"Good," Moving towards the door she went on, "Let's go in. As it is word of your presence in the tower will start to spread throughout the village."

Knocking on the door she opened it after hearing Tsunade's permission, "Tsunade-sama, both of them are here."

"Bring them in Shizune and lock the door," Tsunade ordered putting the paperwork aside.

Seeing the dejected look on Naruto's face she raised an eyebrow in question, "What's going on?"

"Baachan," Naruto wailed dramatically, "Shizune-neechan is being mean."

"That won't work Naruto," She replied shaking her head at the childishness of someone who took out Orochimaru, "Its standard recuperating procedure when you come back from S-rank missions."

Understanding the likely cause of Naruto's belly aching Tsunade added her two cents, "Especially when you come back injured."

As Naruto stood dejected Tsunade concentrated on her pink haired apprentice, "I see you have calmed down."

Embarrassed at the reminder of her debacle yesterday, she could only nod her head, "I...I am sorry Shishou."

She knew she had done a great disservice to Tsunade by leaving the way she did. The only consolation was that she had listened to the whole plan her teacher had lined out before leaving the room in a haze of anger. It was a good thing Naruto had come after her otherwise there was a high probability of destruction around Konoha.

"No," Giving her apprentice a small smile Tsunade shook her head, "There is nothing to be sorry about. I can understand how hard it must have been for you."

Hearing the words, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. With a grateful expression on her face she genuflected, "Thanks, Shishou."

"So, have you sorted things out?"

"As much as I could," Sakura replied with a shrug. Hinting at Naruto she went on, "We talked it out."

"It was a close thing too," Naruto cut in with an amused expression, "I thought my life was in danger."

"It wasn't anything as dramatic," Sakura quickly clarified at Tsunade's expression.

"Sure," Naruto cut in teasingly, "Says someone with a monstrous strength who can flatten mountains with a punch."

"Are you calling us monsters, brat?" Tsunade asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Gulping at the frightening expression Naruto frantically waved his hands in front of him, "Of course not Baachan…You guys are the greatest," He finished showing a full set of teeth in a Guy-esque fashion.

"Stop that," Sakura berated him shuddering at the sight of glinting teeth, "2 people doing that is more than enough in the world."

Removing the disturbing image of Naruto in a green jumpsuit, Tsunade got back to the task at hand, "Then are you ready for it Sakura?"

"I don't know about being ready Shishou," Sakura gesticulated with her shoulders, "But I don't see any other choice."

"There are always choices you can make," She spoke remembering her past, "The question is…Which path you will choose?"

Contemplating the question Sakura didn't say anything for a while. As seconds turned to a minute she spoke softly, "I really don't want to do this, Shishou…"

"But?"

Nodding her head she continued, "But I am not a little kid anymore…and it's not like accepting this will be the end of the world."

"Even though it will feel like it?"

"Yeah," She grimaced, "I am sure the politics will be a nightmare…nonetheless this is needed for the country."

"That it is," Tsunade agreed with her apprentice's conclusion, "With your presence the Daimyo's life will not be in danger…especially with the security we will provide."

"And in a few months after things have settled down, stability might return to the capital," Naruto added.

"It might..." Tsunade verbalized, "You might have to put your carrier on hold till things become normal."

Stilling at the thought, Sakura shook her head, "I am sorry Shishou…I won't do that."

At the questioning look she elaborated, "3 years ago I made a promise to myself that I would be the best Kunoichi in the world."

"Even if I go to the capital this village will always be my home. I am not leaving my duty," She declared with a determined voice, "To serve and protect is the oath I took with this headband and I intend to do that."

"You are my leader and I will follow whatever order you give me but…as long as Akatsuki is out there I am not leaving Naruto," She finished with clenched fists.

Hearing the determination in her apprentice's voice and observing the expression on Naruto's face, Tsunade could barely hold back her smile. She felt so proud of her student and her desire to protect her teammate. She knew when Naruto took the hat from her, together the two of them would bring about changes throughout the Fire country.

"Well said, Sakura," Shizune spoke for Tsunade as their leader was trying to gather herself.

Nodding her thanks Sakura waited for Tsunade to gather herself, "Shishou, I don't mind going to the capital but I think it would be better to make it clear to the Daimyo, I am not leaving the ninja corps behind."

"You would be the first heir in the Fire country who was a Kunoichi," Tsunade explained, "Since the male heirs are usually taught Bushido by Samurai. I think it would be better for Daimyo to be aware of your intension."

"We also need to decide on the ceremony to present you in front of the Fire country," She reminded her apprentice, "I will make sure to include you in the meeting with the Daimyo."

As silence settled in the room, Tsunade smiled a little, "I am glad you were able to sort it out."

Turning her chair a little she looked outside the windows, "I know it won't be easy but I think the future generations would rejoice at your decision."

Bowing her head Sakura smiled at her teacher's confidence in her, "Thanks Shishou…I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," She agreed turning back towards them.

"Now that the depressing stuff is out of the way…"She smirked changing the topic, "When are you going to see your parents?"

"We did come here to talk to you about that," She admitted, "To be exact we wanted to ask if you have any plans regarding them."

"Nothing…other than moving them to a new place of residence," Tsunade acknowledged with a shrug, "They need protection since people might use them against you."

Acquiescing Sakura laid out the plan, "Naruto and I were discussing the same thing and we were thinking until their place of residence is finalized if they agree my parents can stay at Naruto's place."

"Naruto's place?" Tsunade asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, "It would give Sakura-chan a chance to not only talk it out with them but assure them that they are still her parents."

Thinking on it a little she couldn't come up with an argument against it. She knew Jiraiya had gifted his Godson with the place as an apology for 12 years of neglect. The teenager had gratefully accepted his teacher's present. After living alone for so long the gift presented by his Godfather was something he cherished more than as a place to stay. It was a reminder that there were others out there who cared about him.

"I have no problem with it," She consented, "In fact it would help ANBU as they will have an easier time."

"That's what we thought," Sakura replied with a nod, "Shishou what about a new place of residence?"

"We still need to figure it out. I have to talk to the Daimyo first."

"Daimyo?" She questioned, "I can look for a place for them and if you are willing to help then I can take care of the rest of the payment."

Shaking her head Tsunade clarified, "There is no need for that Sakura. They are your parents…we need to move them to an affluent area."

"What?" Surprised at her teacher's proposition she narrowed her eyes, "Is it because of security?"

"Of course," The blonde Hokage conceded, "But more than that since they are your parents they have to live a certain way. It's part of the change that they have to deal with."

"I see."

"That is why I am sure the Daimyo would take care of a place for them," She smiled in understanding at Sakura's concern, "You don't need to worry. It's one of the perks of being an heir to the Fire Country."

"People will flock to do my bidding?"

"And take advantage of you," Tsunade added a warning.

"I understand."

"Good," Seeing that her student understand the meaning behind the words she propped her chip on the back of her hand, "Was there anything else?"

"Yes, Shishou. There is," Sakura looked her in the eyes, "It's about the autopsy."

"Orochimaru's?"

"His body likely holds the secret behind the curse seal," She explained, "During the Forest of the Death when he bit Sasuke I am pretty sure he injected an enzyme into his body."

"You think that's the key behind the curse seal?" Surprised at the justification, she tried to think of an enzyme that would give an instant boost in terms of abilities and chakra.

"Baachan, during the fight his last technique reminded me of having nature's energy mixed in," Thinking about the fight he tried to focus his memory on the feelings that he unconsciously gathered likely putting them aside due to pain.

"Sage mode?" Tsunade straightened in surprise, "You think curse seal is a way of granting Sage mode to people?"

"A bastardized version of it."

Of course they already knew how to destroy the curse seal but the main ingredient for it had to come from either Orochimaru or Juugo. They knew about Juugo's ability to absorb natural energy and change shape. All they needed was the enzyme so that they could destroy the seal making sure to destroy Orochimaru's DNA as well.

"It's all conjecture at this point but I think we can solve the riddle," Sakura added after Naruto, "We might be able to destroy the curse seal."

Thinking about the situation Tsunade couldn't come up with anything that would constitute a problem at the teenagers' request. She knew Sakura would follow proper procedure to log everything. If they were successful in breaking the seal there was at least one person in Konoha to benefit from it. There was also the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had the curse seal and if they could destroy it then they would take away his trump card.

Coming to a decision she nodded her head, "Okay, you have the permission."

With the green light, Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but congratulate each other as it made one of their top priorities easier. They would be able to use Orochimaru's body as an excuse to give out the information they wanted Konoha to know. Before they could contemplate it further Tsunade gave an order, "I want everything written out. Full explanation along with any suspicions."

"You got it, Shishou," Sakura agreed immediately, "I will make sure the report is to your specifications."

Sitting back in her seat she asked the teenagers in her room, "Is there anything else?"

"No, Baachan," Naruto shook his head, "We are done."

Gazing at Sakura she pointed out, "Then you should go and see your parents."

"Yeah…" Taking a deep breath she replied, "They must be a nervous wreck by now."

As the teenagers walked out of the room, Shizune looked them with fondness. Both teenagers were turning out to be powerful shinobi that would change the face of Konoha, and it's perception around the world. The differences were already visible as the word of their exploit against Orochimaru spread around the village. In time she was sure the two of them would become 2 of the most powerful people in the world. She just hoped she was there to see it all.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

In an underground room in Konoha sat an old man with his face wrapped in bandages. On the outside he seemed the epitome of a calm and collected individual but on the inside he seethed with rage. He hadn't felt this angry since the time Sarutobi Hiruzen was chosen as the Hokage. The reason for his fury was the current Hokage of Konoha Senju Tsunade.

He had to give her credit he never thought she would gain power by ruling from the shadows. Since his return from the Council meeting in the morning he had been trying to understand how things had gotten so out of hand. His dream of becoming Hokage seemed to be getting further and further away. With the addition of controlling the Daimyo, Tsunade had amassed power that he wanted.

Thinking back to the reason for her power he narrowed his eye. Since the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki came back things had been going against him. The news of both teenagers being capable of going against S-rank ninja along with Konoha and Suna signing more treaties made his blood boil. With the Kazekage back in his village Suna was strong as ever but the promotion of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki made things worse.

At the meeting in the morning he was surprised to learn they were able to kill Orochimaru. While that was not bad news, the announcement of their kill made sure the whole village was aware of the feat. If that wasn't enough then Tsunade had played her best hand by describing the make-believe story.

'Because that's all it was,' He thought furiously. He refused to believe that Tsunade's apprentice was the heir to the throne. He had already made plans to get rid of the Daimyo and elect a person more sympathetic to his cause. But the introduction of Haruno Sakura as the Crown Princess had ruined all his plans.

He didn't want to believe for a second that Tsunade had outsmarted him, 'She is aware of the price of instability.' Reflecting on it he thought back to the memory of the meeting. With the godforsaken smirk on her face he knew she enjoyed pulling the wool over his eyes. With her apprentice as the heir Tsunade held not only the military power of Konoha but also the might of the Daimyo's army.

If that wasn't enough then Daimyo's ears certainly helped Tsunade's case. With the introduction of a new Crown Princess she had made sure the other Generals had good reason to keep the Daimyo alive. And as long as the Daimyo lived he would be grateful to Tsunade since she was the one who saved him. Knowing how the head of the Fire Country operated Danzo understood it was only a matter of time before Tsunade got all her demands especially the ones currently blocked by bureaucracy of Konoha.

Getting out of his thoughts he called out, "Fu, Torune," As both shinobi appeared kneeling down he got up from his seat.

"Danzo-sama," Both of them intoned at the same time.

"What have you heard about the new heir?" Danzo asked.

"That...Haruno Sakura's name was declared today," Fu answered keeping his head down.

"Find out whether she really is the child of the former Crown Prince or not," Danzo ordered with a monotone voice, "I want to know how a child that was supposed to be dead suddenly turned up alive."

"Yes sir."

'Interrogating the parents of the girl would be impossible right now as the security around them and the Daimyo would be at an all-time high,' He thought to himself, "Go to the capital and find me everything you can about the Prince and his child."

As the shinobi in front of him bowed he suddenly remembered his other subordinate, "What about Sai's whereabouts?"

"We are unable to locate him at the moment," Torune answered.

Narrowing his eye Danzo tapped his cane on the ground, "Go," he ordered his shinobi. As they left the room he thought back to the conversation with Tsunade. She had rebuffed his arguments about Sai's whereabouts saying he had been assigned a secret mission. He would have loved to use Shisui's Sharingan on her but the cost of such an attack stopped him.

She was using the same tactic he had used to thwart others in the past. He knew Sai was being held captive when he came back to Konoha but Tsunade had denied anything of the sort. In fact she offset his claim by praising Sai for his exemplary duty and sense of professionalism. As such she had immediately utilized him for another mission. Unable to do anything he had retreated.

Tsunade was bolstering her camp with powerful Shinobi especially since hers and Jiraiya's apprentice re-formed Team Kakashi. With their exploits already popular throughout the village, their fame was now reaching new heights with Orochimaru's kill behind them.

Sitting back down on his seat Danzo went to his deepest thoughts to think of a way to counter Tsunade's plan. At the moment he might not have anything but he was the shadow of the night and many dark things lurked in the shadows that usually didn't get enlightened during the day. For now he would bid his time waiting for the right moment to strike.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Keeping an eye out for intruders a cat masked ANBU hid in the corner to keep an eye out along the corridor. It was the first time in her life she was protecting civilians who had nothing to do with any part of the government. Considering the people inside the room were parents of the heir of Fire Country, Yugao understood the importance of her job. She knew Tsunade had shown a great deal of trust in her ability to tell her the secret before it was revealed to the village.

Entrusting her with the mission to protect the couple Tsunade indicated her belief in the purple haired ANBU. Now she needed to make sure that trust was retained and the only way to do that would be to complete the mission. Sending out chakra through her ANBU tattoo, she concentrated on the response signal. Beside her the other ANBU were stationed throughout the building to protect the couple.

The reason for protection was simple as the parents of the heir they were a good resource to find information on Haruno Sakura. With the word spreading throughout the village she knew it was only a matter of time before spies from outside and within Konoha made an attempt to find more information about the Grand-daughter of the Daimyo. As such it was imperative Konoha do everything in its power to protect the civilians.

Thinking about the couple, Yugao thought back to the time when they heard the news regarding their daughter's status. She could sympathize with the confusion and anger both displayed. But the presence of the seals inside their heads cemented the possibility of Sandaime Hokage making sure they wouldn't be compromised.

'It must be some seal if Inoichi-san couldn't pry their thoughts,' she thought with utmost respect for the previous Hokage, 'Even after his death the seals are going strong.'

She had to ruefully shake her head at the genius of 'Kami no shinobi' to keep his word. Coming back to the couple she listened as the parents talked about their daughter once more. Before placing the couple in the room, she had personally made sure to install equipment throughout the whole place.

The invasion of privacy was less of a worry than failing to fulfill the task given by her Hokage. She was aware the situation at the capital wasn't great and Konoha couldn't afford to get involved in the nightmare if the two civilians died.

The sudden appearance of two teenagers in front of the door she was guarding disrupted her train of thought. Moving on autopilot she left her hiding spot appearing behind the male. With her tanto in hand she attacked the blind spot going in for the kill. Before the blade could pierce the back of the intruder Yugao unexpectedly lost control of her arm. As the blade clattered to the ground she found herself on the floor unable to move her legs.

Feeling the presence of other ANBU as they appeared around them Naruto raised his hands in a placating fashion, "Wait!" He shouted waving his arms.

Recognizing the voice Yugao looked closely at the trespassers and found herself looking at Sakura. Sending a quick signal to her team she ordered, "Stop."

As the ANBU halted their advance Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, "Sorry about that Uzuki-san. When you attacked I just moved without thinking."

Keeping her surprise in check Yugao blinked at the apology. She couldn't believe how quickly she was sidelined by the Hokage's apprentice. The movement was so fast she didn't see the two hits she received. It was only because of loss of sensation through her arm and chest did she realize she was injured.

Getting back to the task at hand she suddenly recognized the person talking to her, "Ah…it's alright Sakura-sama."

Seeing the other ANBU bow down to her Sakura released a defeated sigh. She knew there was no use fighting it anymore for better or worse she was now the Princess of Fire country. Facing the ANBU she called out, "Please raise your heads."

Moving towards Yugao, she knelt down activating "Shousen no Jutsu," to heal her wounds, "Once again, I am sorry about this Uzuki-san," Ducking her head in embarrassment she continued, "I was too tightly wound."

With the feeling back in her arm Yugao straightened as the medic's hand went to her chest, "I should be the one to apologies Sakura-sama. I thought you were spies-"

"It's ok. I know you were just doing your job," She cut in with a smile, "Thank you for protecting my parents."

Moving back she pulled the purple haired ANBU to her feet. Bowing to the rest of the team Sakura politely apologized, "We are sorry for the trouble."

Rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, Naruto followed Sakura's example, "Yeah, sorry about that, dattebayo," Turning towards the cat masked ANBU he smiled, "That was an awesome attack, Neko-chan."

Blinking at the blatant lack of respect Yugao just looked at the blonde haired teenager. Hearing a snigger from one of the ANBU she turned her stare at them. As they stopped she spoke to Naruto, "Thank you."

"Heh…don't mention it," He replied almost laughing on the inside. He never expected to meet the purple haired ANBU so soon but he wasn't going to waste this chance. While Sakura talked to her parents he wanted to get to know the leader of his old protection team.

As an awkward silence settled around them everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Sakura's parents opened the door. Naruto observed Sakura going straight towards them as the whole family cried. He knew it was cathartic after the news heard by the parents and their child. Even though they knew the truth it was a very different reality for her parents. They knew they had given birth to Sakura but now the whole world was telling them it was a lie.

'If that doesn't qualify as a mind-fuck…I don't know what else does,' He thought with a hint of sadness as Sakura placated her parents fears that she was still their daughter.

Giving them a bit of privacy she took her parents inside the room. Once the door closed, Naruto turned towards Yugao, "So? Wanna play a game to pass the time?" He didn't know what to make of the blank masked stare he received but taking it as a good sign he took out a scroll from his haori.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Walking in the room with her parents clinging to her Sakura closed the door. Crying herself from seeing her parents' tears she supported them. She understood they were hurting considering the shock they must have felt when they found out they did not give birth to their only daughter.

It hurt her more to hide the truth but she had no other choice. The whole country was at stake so she took on this sacrifice with her parents. But just because she was willing to surrender to the situation did not mean she was willing to let go of her parents. In fact she knew Naruto would insist on making sure the bond between them remained strong.

Getting love and support from her husband through the link, she walked her parents to the bed to sit them down. When she tried to pry her hand from her mother's lap she heard, "We didn't know Sakura…we really didn't know. I still remember giving birth to you."

Taking a deep breath to stabilize herself Sakura looked at her, "No matter what anyone says…you are still my parents."

"Did you hear what Sandaime did?" She asked looking her mother and father in the eyes.

"Yes," Her father answered with a somber expression on his face, "Tsunade-sama told us."

Nodding her head she explained, "There is a seal placed in your head to stop others from prying…it also functions to give you false memories."

"But Okaa-san, Tou-san…to me it doesn't matter," She hugged them both, "I love you."

"We were so scared, Sakura," Her father said looking at her, "But I am glad you are my daughter. I am so glad."

Sitting down on the floor in front of her parents she held onto their hands, "I know both of you love me and there is nothing in this world that would make me doubt it."

"The situation right now is pretty unique," Illuminating the state of affairs she went on, "The things in the capital are very unstable right now."

"So please understand that I had no choice but to accept it," Pointing towards her headband she explained, "When I got this I took an oath to protect this village."

"And your duty required you to become the Princess of the Fire country?" Haruno Mebuki asked her daughter.

"Yes," Nodding her head she expounded on the situation, "My presence will help keep the Daimyo alive and that would bring constancy back to the nation's capital."

"Can't they just kill the Daimyo and declare you unsuitable to rule the land or something," Kizashi asked his daughter thinking about what little he knew about politics.

"First there are patriots in the capital who would rather see Fire Country flourish then be destroyed so they would stop that from happening," She explained with a smile, "Second if they do go after the Daimyo it would benefit the Hokage since she can have the capital locked down under martial law."

"After that she can install a puppet ruler or just take over directly?" Her father finished her statement.

"Something along those lines," She deflected knowing that if something like that happened then Tsunade would most likely create an alliance in the capital and kill off all the ambitious Generals. Though that solution would bring down the military might of the Fire country it would make sure there was at least a nation to defend.

"So, what does she want with us, Sakura-chan?" Her mother inquired with fear in her eyes, "We can't even go home."

"Yeah," She tightened her grip on her mother's hands to provide her comfort, "That's for your safety. Our house is not easy to defend in case of intruders."

"Now that people know about my connection to the Daimyo, they would use you to gather information about me," She expounded on Tsunade's reasoning, "In simple words you need security around you to protect you from spies that might harm you to get to me."

"So we can't ever go to our house?" Mebuki asked aghast, "Where will we live?"

"We can go to our house to collect our things..." She smiled a little to calm her mother, "But it is true we can't stay at our current home."

"Instead," She continued over her mother's objection, "Tsunade-sama is sure the Daimyo will provide us with a new home…one where guards can be posted to defend you."

Though there was a relieved expression on her mother's face the sadness in her father's eyes tugged at her heart strings, "You are not happy Tou-san?"

Sighing Kizashi explained, "I don't mind moving Sakura…especially now because of fake memories but for some reason I still remember the first time you came into that house..."

Raising herself on her knees she hugged her father, "I understand Tou-san. But I would rather see you and Kaa-san safe. After all we can always make new memories."

"And there is no point in worrying about old memories if they might get you killed?" Her mother questioned, with a small smile on her face.

"Something like that," She nodded in appreciation.

"I understand," Kizashi replied wiping his eyes, "I am glad you are my daughter, Sakura."

"I am too."

As the family descended into a comfortable silence Mebuki looked at her daughter. With her eyes closed Sakura looked so peaceful like a small child falling asleep with her head on her father's lap. But she knew it was far from the truth. She had observed the young girl change into a woman especially after her teammates had left.

She might not be a ninja but she knew enough about them to know her daughter was extraordinarily powerful. Thinking about it she almost laughed out loud thinking about her daughter's strength. She was aware that Sakura could break boulders with a flick of her wrists and it scared her. More than fear there was a feeling that only a parent could have when their only child achieved their goals.

Since studying under the Hokage her daughter had matured quickly and it put her mind to rest to know she would be able to protect herself when going got tough. It was hard thinking about her only child fighting others. However, watching her daughter progress through her training and earning her promotions subsided her concerns giving her heart to know Sakura could take care of herself.

Interrupting her train of thought she felt Sakura shift from her position to stand up, "Sakura?" She asked thinking her daughter was leaving.

"Hmm…" Sakura replied lazily rotating her shoulder to keep her mind to task. She was thinking about how to broach the topic regarding their stay at Naruto's house.

"Are you going to stay with us?" Mebuki asked her daughter with a little hesitancy.

Taking a deep breath to centre herself, she spoke, "I wanted to talk to you guys about that."

"What is it?" Kizashi asked.

"It is about where we are going to stay…at least until Tsunade-sama talks to the Daimyo," She explained with a shrug.

With confusion on her face, Mebuki thought about the situation, "You are saying we have to move from here?"

"Yes, not today but soon," Sakura clarified for her parents, "This place is especially built for dignitaries who stay during Chuunin exams and other events."

"And?"

"Pretty soon people will start arriving from the capital as the news spread," Looking at her parents apologetically she continued, "You will have to move then."

"And where will we go?" Kizashi queried with concern written on his face.

"They will likely move you to a safe house," Sakura divulged with a sigh.

At her parents lack of reply she gingerly walked towards them. Reaching them she held onto their hands to provide comfort. She knew hearing about safe house terrified them considering ninja's usually didn't do location swaps. Most of the time safe houses were used to provide people with a sense of belonging until they spilled their secrets. Then the house was quietly vacated awaiting the next arrival.

She knew their apprehension was about living in the same place where other's had been killed. Steadying herself she spoke tentatively, "I know you don't want to stay in a safe house…" Gauging her parents' reaction she continued, "I do have another place…but I don't know if you…would want to stay there."

"What do you mean?" Mystified Mebuki asked her daughter, "Where is this place?"

"It's in the village," She replied quietly composing herself in case her parents spoke against the idea. Once her emotions were under control she faced them, "If you guys don't mind…we can stay at Naruto's place."

Hearing the name both Mebuki and Kizashi looked at each other. They both were surprised at Sakura's mention since the last time they talked about Naruto both parents got the impression they were being watched very closely. It wasn't like they both didn't have doubts, after all it wasn't easy to forget what you have been conditioned to believe for a long time even if it was indirectly.

They hadn't done anything against the boy but they hadn't gone out of their way to help either. Seeing the way other people behaved around the kid they had made sure to distance themselves from him as well. They hadn't actively tried to push him away but when Sakura was younger Mebuki certain warned her daughter to stay away from Naruto.

It wasn't because of anything against the child but they just didn't want to associate with someone that had the potential of giving them trouble. Since, they had their business it was important for them to not give anyone a chance against the family. So, they kept their heads down and pretended Naruto didn't exist.

However, both of them had seen the changes Sakura had gone through in the past three years. Before Naruto left for his training there wasn't a day where Sakura didn't complain about Naruto. Afterwards, they had noticed how protective she was of him. So, they knew they had to tread very carefully to not upset their daughter.

Before they could contemplate it further, Sakura spoke, "He has a lot of space at his house and we can stay over there while we wait for the Daimyo's decision."

"Sakura…we can't impose on him like this," Kizashi tried to reason with his daughter.

"He doesn't mind Tou-san," She explained, "In fact it was his idea."

With her husband at a loss for words Mebuki attempted to talk to her daughter, "His idea? Is his house even big enough for us to stay there?"

"It's big enough Kaa-san. Not many people know about this but when he came back from his training trip, Jiraiya-sama presented him the place as a gift," She replied thinking about it, "From the outside it might not look any bigger than a normal home but you will find it very spacious from the inside."

"Why there?" Kizashi questioned his daughter trying to find his footing.

"It's away from regular population that ANBU can easily do their job without disturbing you and you will be able to relax over there without worrying about your life," Smirking she elaborated her point, "And trust me the people who will be able to break into that house…will have to be on a whole another level."

Exhaling his breath Kizashi covered his eyes with his hands. Trying to find the right words he removed his hand to look at his wife. As she stared back at him with a blank expression he understood she couldn't come up with an argument against it. He tried to think of something against Sakura's idea but he wasn't sure how it would go down with his daughter.

Scrutinizing the emotions of her father's face Sakura held onto his hand, "Tou-san, if you have any doubts please say them now. I think it would be better to get to them right now."

"I am not sure how to say them," Her father admitted, "I don't want to make you angry."

Listening to her father's concern, she relaxed herself to bring down his anxiety, "Go on please. I am willing to listen."

Knowing that his daughter was cooperative enough to listen to him he breathed a sigh of relief, "I personally have nothing against, Naruto-kun. We didn't lose any family during the Kyuubi attack…we were terrified and so were you. As civilians we were one of the first people sent to the shelter so we didn't see the terrible loss of life."

At Sakura's nod he continued, "By the time we came out most of the streets had been cleared and even though there were signs of destruction everywhere, we weren't affected much," Reminiscing back to the time's past he opened up, "That's why I didn't say anything when you were placed with him."

"I am not a Shinobi so I don't understand the reason behind the decision but I trusted the Hokage to know what he was doing," Seeing his daughter's thankful face he pursed his lips, "That does not mean…that I wasn't scared."

"Of Naruto?"

"Your mother and I have heard people talk about him. We didn't understand it but every time someone said anything it came with a warning to stay away from him. Mostly it was people like us but there were some Shinobi as well," He explained with a frown on his face.

"But then you started defending Naruto three years ago and it make me think…At home…you remember that argument you and your mother had," He looked at his daughter pointedly to find her staring in his eyes.

"I do," Sakura nodded, "I still stand by what I said. He is a hero and no matter how much people deny it…it's a fact."

"It's because of this determination of yours," He said emphatically, "After listening to you…I decided to trust in your judgement."

"So for me it's not about having anything against staying at Naruto's house but…Sakura we don't know him," He explicated his problem, "You are his teammate so you are familiar with him."

"We on the other hand," He steered his hand between his wife and himself, "Don't know him."

Shaking her head at her father's worry she couldn't help but ruminate about the past. It was ironic that her father was worried about such a trivial thing when both her parents had loved Naruto in the other timeline. The way her father used to brag about her husband to his friends was endearing to watch. Similarly, Naruto's devotion to her parents was also something that other people used to talk about.

Getting back to her father's question she gave them a beautiful smile, "I can assure you…by the time Daimyo provides us with a house where guards can be stationed…you both will be in love with him."

At the skeptical expression on her mother's face she grinned, "He is a very good person, Kaa-san. It still surprises me…with the level of neglect he faced he turned out to be such a beautiful soul."

"The Kazekage of Suna, The Daimyo of the Snow country, Sandaime, Godaime and Jiraiya-sama didn't stand a chance," Aiming her finger at her parents she smiled, "You both are my parents and I know you…Trust me there is no way you will be exempt from his charm."

Looking at her husband Mebuki saw him shrug his shoulders before he spoke, "I got nothing."

Knowing a lost cause she hugged her daughter, "Fine…you win. If you think it's a good idea then we would be honored to stay at Naruto-kun's place."

"Thanks Kaa-san," Tightly embracing her mother she expressed her happiness, "I can't wait for you to meet him. Trust me you won't regret this."

"As long as you are there, daughter mine…I am sure I won't," Mebuki replied cheerfully at the expression on Sakura's face. She was glad her husband had talked about their insecurities to her. It made the decision easier since they were able to work things out as a family.

She didn't know what the future held for them but she knew as long as Sakura was there she and her husband would be able to cope with anything. When the Hokage told her the news she was just about ready to lose it but her daughter had laid rest to those fears.

After seeing her she knew becoming the grand-daughter of the Daimyo hadn't changed Sakura. If nothing else her desire for her parents to stay with her even if it was at a friend's place let her know Sakura still held both of them dear to her heart.

Getting back to her feet Sakura gave a parents a wide smile, "Let me call him…he is just waiting outside."

Walking towards the door she heard a commotion outside. Concentrating on the link the only thing she got was amusement from Naruto's end. Knowing her husband's childishness and tendency to prank people she cautiously opened the door. The scene that greeted her left her speechless as she stood there shaking her head.

Watching their daughter both parents were surprised to see her stand beside the open door and gaze outside. Getting ready in case there was trouble both of them stood up from their seat before Mebuki stopped herself from panicking as she observed Sakura's face. What she saw gave her pause as she held her husband's hand to calm him down.

The smile on her daughter's face was something she had never seen before. It was a smile of a woman in love as she watched the object of her affection. The meaning behind the smile wasn't lost on her though glancing at her husband let her know he was clueless regarding the issue.

Glad she was the only one who noticed the smile Mebuki knew she needed to think about the implications of such a relationship, 'Until I sort out my feelings talking to Sakura won't help.' Thinking about her daughter's emotions she was grateful for the opportunity to get to know Naruto.

Walking towards the door both Mebuki and Kizashi came upon an extraordinary scene. On the floor in front of their door sat Uzumaki Naruto and the purple haired ANBU who had escorted them to the room. However, the pile of money and the cards spread out on the floor left them speechless.

"I win!" Naruto exclaimed standing up doing a little jig.

Suddenly, the purple haired ANBU bellowed, "The hell you did," standing up herself, "You cheated."

"What?" He rounded on her, "You have any proof of that?"

"This time I do."

"Yeah right," He uttered sarcastically, "Just like you had proof the last six times."

Gritting her teeth, Yugao growled through the mask, "I know you were cheating."

"Kitty-chan," Naruto shook his head taking pity on her, "How could you. I thought you were better than this."

"Stop calling me Kitty," Yugao shouted at the teenager ignoring the snickering of her colleagues, "I am Neko. And I know you were cheating the whole time."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah…I might not have been able to catch you before but this time I have proof," She hollered at the top of her lungs.

"What proof? I had a better hand so I won…now give me my money."

Brandishing her sword she stood on top of the money, "I know you changed cards at the last minute."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did," She raised her voice, "They told me you did."

"How could you Kitty-chan?" Gasping Naruto's eyes widened dramatically, "Hokage's ANBU cheating against a teenager..." Swooning theatrically he continued, "Oh what has this world come to?"

Holding his hand to his heart, he turned towards the other ANBU, "And you guys…I thought you were on my side?"

Turning back towards Yugao he turned on his puppy dog eyes, "Kitty-chan, first you cheat against little ole me and then you accuse me of cheating in turn?"

"Why?" He went near the ANBU, "I was just trying to play an honest game with you. Was it too much to ask?"

As others stood still while Naruto played their conscience, Sakura noticed him nearing the pile of cash. Before he could reach the money she went up to him and grabbed him by the collar. Hearing his surprised, "What the…?" She starting walking towards the room.

Recognizing his wife he tried to get his feet under him, "Sakura-chan? What are you doing?"

Watching the pile of dough getting farther away he cried, "Wait…my money…let me get my money."

"Uzuki-san, you can keep the money," Sakura said without turning her head, "I know he likely cheated."

"Ah…"

"On second thought," She went on interrupting Yugao, "Would you please join us? I think you need to be aware of this as well."

Straightening up after collecting the money, she replied, "Of course, Sakura-sama," Teasingly she walked behind the blonde teenager taking her time to store the money.

She didn't know what it was about him but the way he was bawling his eyes out made her feel really good. She knew he was cheating though she was unable to catch him in the act. Finally having enough of it she enlisted the help of her team on the last turn and they let her know his tactic.

Being aware that the teenagers in front of her were responsible for the death of Orochimaru, she knew they were both capable. Still it infuriated her the way Naruto blatantly cheated and was so smug about it. Taking extreme pleasure at his sulking face she walked into the room as Sakura closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Next day…

Waking up in the morning Naruto found himself sleeping on his side with Sakura's head tucked underneath his chin. Opening his eyes he looked around the room making sure to keep still. If there was one thing he hated about being a Shinobi, at least a good one it was the tendency to be a light sleeper.

The slightest of movement was usually enough to wake a person from slumbering. Making sure to keep breathing with the same pattern he thought back to last night. Meeting his wife's parents for the first time in this timeline was a little awkward. There were a couple of times where he found himself on the verge of calling them mother and father.

'I wonder if I will be able to get to that stage with them once more,' He thought to himself gazing at the ceiling.

[I am sure you will,] Came the reply through the link.

[I am sorry…did I wake you?] He asked Sakura feeling guilty.

[No, that's alright. It's time to wake up anyway.]

Placing his hand on her cheek he raised her head to meet him halfway. As their lips met Sakura placed her hands on the back of his neck. Moving her hands to his hair she played with it in her hand. As the kiss became heated he brought her closer to him with Sakura almost lying on top of him.

Before things could get heated Naruto let out a loud groan. It was getting harder to hold back but they just didn't have the time, "Your parents just left their room." Grumbling at the interruption Sakura got up from the bed to go to her room.

Getting up in the morning involved cleaning and cooking at the Haruno house. For Mebuki finding free time in the morning was a novel experience. Leaving the bedroom to take a look around she reminded herself that looks were usually deceiving when dealing with ninja as she could see from the space inside the house. From the outside it didn't look any bigger than the rest of the houses in the area but when you entered inside there was a lot more room.

Browsing the house she heard some noise emanating from the kitchen. Silently walking towards it she found Naruto making breakfast which she assumed was for the four of them. Just standing there looking at the teenager she was startled when he turned around to greet her, "Good morning, Mebuki-san."

Getting her breathing under control she replied, "Good morning, Naruto-kun," Indicating to the food being cooked she asked, "I see you are making breakfast. Would you like some help?"

His first inclination was to be a good host and tell her to rest but discerning the situation he smiled, inviting her, "Sure Mebuki-san. If you don't mind I would be honored to cook with you."

He knew he made the right decision when the Haruno matriarch smiled gratefully as she walked into the kitchen. It was the start of building a relationship with the Haruno parents and Naruto knew Mebuki loved cooking.

Taking a look around the kitchen, she found it organized with all the cabinets labelled with various things, "I am surprised you keep things so neat and tidy."

Tilting his head with a small smile he asked teasingly, "Did you expect me to be a slob Mebuki-san?"

"Oh heavens no, Naruto-kun," She shook her head, "I am just surprised that a teenager keeps his house so clean."

"Thank you," He nodded his head in thanks, "But I am afraid you are right to be surprised. I am usually not so organized but I have an advantage that other's don't,"

At her inquisitive expression he created a clone, "I can create my own help to clean the house."

"Wow," She said surprised, "Was that Ninjutsu?"

Dismissing the clone he took the lid off the utensil to check on boiled rice, "Yes it was."

"One of the hardest actually," Sakura came in the kitchen, "He is one of the few people in the world who can use it properly."

"Good morning, Sakura-chan" Naruto winked at her teasingly.

"Good morning," She shook her head at his antics. Moving around the kitchen she grabbed plates and bowls, "I am going to set the table. Is it going to take long?"

"No," Mebuki replied, "The fish is almost done. The rest is ready."

"Okay then, I am going to call Tou-san," Sakura walked out to set the dining table.

As everybody sat down to eat breakfast, Kizashi noticed the clothes both teenagers were wearing, "Are you guys going to work today?"

Nodding her head, Sakura answered, "Yeah, Tou-san. Tsunade-sama has some work for us."

"I thought you both had the week off?" Mebuki questioned enjoying her breakfast.

"We do," Naruto smiled slightly, "The standard procedure after an S-rank mission is at least a week off but that's mostly to allow for any injuries to settle down."

"Since we are going to be in the village and not doing anything strenuous…Baachan allowed us to work."

Shaking her head at the informal way of addressing the Hokage of Konoha, Mebuki looked at her husband. She knew he was amused by Naruto's antics especially by the lack of propriety when speaking of authority figures. It was something her husband would have loved to do but when you were a civilian down the social ladder the lack of formality counted against you.

"Calling the Hokage, Baachan…You have some balls kid," Kizashi grinned.

"I call it like I see it, Kizashi-san," Naruto shrugged finishing his breakfast, "And anyway I am technically the only one who could call her that."

"What do you mean?" Kizashi questioned at the unexpected explanation.

"Uzumaki and Senju clans are related, Tou-san," Sakura provided an explanation, "Shishou's grandmother was an Uzumaki."

"That's Shodaime's wife right?" Mebuki inquired with surprising alacrity.

"Yes."

"You might be related to the First Hokage then Naruto-kun."

"I don't know about that, Mebuki-san," Naruto smiled in understanding, "I haven't been able to find out the connection between my mother and Baachan's grandmother…other than them being from the same clan."

"Mother? You know who your parents are?" Kizashi enquired leaning forward.

"I do but I can't say anything about them yet," He responded with an apologetic smile.

Seeing the frown on her father's face Sakura clarified, "Tsunade-sama has ordered not to, Tou-san," At his confusion she elaborated, "Both his parents were famous and it might create additional problems if it came out right now."

"Really?" Mebuki asked as she looked at Naruto.

"Also, since the two of you will be unable to defend yourself…it's a big security risk right now," Sakura provided further justification for the problem.

Understanding the quandary both Mebuki and Kizashi let go. They knew it must be a big secret if it would place their lives in danger just to know it. If Mebuki was true to herself then her suspicion was being raised as she stared hard at Naruto. Not knowing what to think at the moment, she waited until the two teenagers took the dishes to the kitchen before taking over the rest of the chores from Naruto. As they left she kept busy taking care of the house while thinking about the conversation.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Few hours later…

Stretching her back from bending forward the past few hours, Sakura got up from her seat. They were in a small room at the back of the hospital not known by the majority of Konoha. It was used by ANBU for forensic work to identify the remains of missing nins killed by Konoha ninja.

"Finally!" She exclaimed rubbing her eyes tiredly, "I had forgotten how much work it was to isolate the enzyme."

"You were successful?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, it's done," Nodding her head she smiled, "Now we just need to decide, which way we want to proceed."

"Whether we remove the curse seal or give Anko-san a chance to use it?"

"If we can," She pointed out, "It can be her trump card."

"We need to neutralize the snake's DNA first," Thinking back to the time when Orochimaru was able to summon the previous Hokage he knew they needed to prevent it.

"Of course…That cockroach is out there." She uttered thinking about Kabuto and his escape from Kakashi. From the information Konoha had received Uchiha Sasuke had left the hideout and formed Team Taka once more. Kabuto was lying low for now considering they had no information on his whereabouts.

"Were you able to find anything else from his skin?"

"Yeah," She smirked thinking about it, "The poison that affected you…"

"Really?" He asked with surprise written clearly on his face.

"That's not all," Closing her eyes she thought about her next words, "I think there is a chemical here that absorbs natural energy on its own…but I still need to run more tests on it."

"How long?"

"Don't know yet…We can work on it but if it's successful then I have an idea that…" Looking into her husband's eyes she continued, "If it's successful I will have something that will give me an Orochimaruesque ability to survive attacks."

"Don't you already have something similar?" Naruto questioned.

"I do but there are limitations to what I can heal…little as they might be but…and this is a big but...if I can bring my idea to life it will be a real trump card."

"I see," He said contemplating her words, "So, it's like a defensive ability."

"Yeah," She replied reflecting on his words, "Though if you think about it…not really defensive either. More along the lines of last resort to survive."

"I understand," He looked through her thoughts to get a better idea, [Isn't it similar in principle to the Hiraishin variant I used against Tou-chan?] He asked through the link in case the room was bugged despite their precautions.

[The spreading of the seal around the area still required your chakra…at least in the beginning before it took the energy from its surroundings] She directed, [This would be done on a purely chemical level…something that I don't have to expend any energy on.]

[Only you will be able to use it?]

[The technique I have in mind?] At his nod she went on, [Yeah…I don't think there is anybody else who can.]

[You think we can use this chemical with a seal?]

[I don't know.] She shook her head, [Why? What do you have in mind?]

[During the fight with Orochimaru when I couldn't use my chakra…] He contemplated the helplessness of the situation, [I literally couldn't do anything. Not even Hiraishin to get out.]

[Kurama's chakra was the only thing that saved me,] Staring into her concerned eyes he sent his love to her, [I couldn't even use the Hiraishin variant where the seals spread through nature chakra.]

[You could have used Kurama's chakra to power them.]

[Couldn't concentrate…even the Fire technique I used during the fight took a lot out of me…something like Hiraishin was out of reach. So, if this chemical of yours work then I was thinking we implant seals to help us navigate during a fight.]

Thinking about his idea she asked, [You mean instead of us providing chakra for say floating through the air…we use the chemical to gather chakra on its own?]

[Yeah,] He replied with a smile thinking about the technique, [We can use it to fly or fast movement and we wouldn't have to expend chakra to use it.]

[That really affected you, huh?]

[You don't understand, Sakura-chan…It was horrible. Maybe I am arrogant but I never thought I would be in a position where I wouldn't be able to use anything in my arsenal.]

[That's why Orochimaru was dangerous. He wasn't the best fighter out there but it was his tinkering that made him dangerous,] She thought back to the fight, [We have fought people who were smarter and stronger than him. So, to be so affected…I think it was a good wake up call.]

Getting out of the link Naruto raised his hands in the air stretching himself, "So what now?"

"Now?" She shrugged, "We relax…let's go enjoy the weather."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Walking around the village Ino was ready to pull out her hair. The reason for her frustration was her friend Sakura who turned out to be the grand-daughter of the Daimyo. Going to the Hokage tower she tried asking Tsunade for Sakura's whereabouts but Shizune turned her back telling her that Sakura was at Naruto's house.

Getting over the surprise that Haruno Sakura would willingly stay at Naruto's house she had gone to his place but found it empty. Asking others she learned that Naruto had moved to a new place when he returned from his training trip.

Tired of her search she found herself face to face with her team as they lazed about their day. Frowning at the expressions of content on their faces she rounded on them, "What are you doing? Have you guys been loafing about?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, "Why do you have to be so loud Ino?"

Chuckling at his students' antics Asuma explained, "Because of the announcement yesterday, most of the Shinobi have been held back from missions."

"I still can't believe that Sakura is a Princess," Ino grumbled.

"I am hungry," Chouji said rubbing his stomach, "Let's get something to eat Asuma-sensei."

"Sure," Asuma shrugged, "I am hungry as well."

Before Chouji could say anything in reply he heard a voice behind him, "Going somewhere?"

"Kurenai-sensei," Ino called out sidestepping Chouji, "How are you?"

Smiling at the teenager who was also her medic Kurenai replied, "I am fine, Ino."

"Of course she is," Kiba said sitting on Akamaru's back, "Hinata checked sensei before coming outside."

"Hinata checked out Kurenai-sensei?" They heard an amused voice from the rooftops, "Wow Hinata, I didn't know you had it in you."

Turning in the direction of the noise they suddenly heard a big impact, "Stop acting perverted Naruto," As Sakura punched the daylights out of Naruto.

In the commotion created by them everyone forgot about the Hyuuga Heiress swaying side to side in embarrassment before falling unconscious. Grabbing her before she hit the ground Kiba shouted, "Naruto you perverted shit…Look what you did."

"Kiba, I believe that Naruto was just being his usual self. Hinata should have exercised more self-control," Shino calmly said to Kiba's boisterous voice.

"Shut it, Shino. I don't want to hear your lecture right now."

Shaking his head at the disorder in front of him, Shikamaru sighed, "Naruto you are so troublesome. Why did you have to say something like that?"

Getting up from his position Naruto looked at everyone, "Wow what are you all doing here? All we need is Team Gai and we can have a party."

As if waiting for his question said team came into view, "Yosh, Naruto-kun, what a youthful thing to say," Lee shouted from the end of the street, "We can have a Taijutsu party where we express ourselves through our fists."

Seeing Hinata unconscious Neji pushed Lee to the side to stop his tirade rushing forward, "What happened to Hinata-sama?"

"Uh…she fainted," Kiba replied with a shrug, "It was Naruto's fault."

"Oye! I didn't do anything to her," Naruto flailed his arms in front of him seeing Neji's glare.

Ignoring the man-child her husband had turned into, Sakura walked towards Sensei of Team 8, "Kurenai-sensei…How are you and the baby?"

Smiling at the pink haired teenager she put her hand on her belly, "The baby and I are both fine Sakura."

"Who is your physician?"

"I am," Ino replied.

"Good," She nodded, "Then you are in good hands."

Looking around at the chaos created by the teenagers Asuma raised his voice, "Guys," Giving a sharp whistle to get everyone's attention, "Aren't we all forgetting something?"

"What is it, Asuma-sensei?" Chouji asked as Kiba shoved Naruto away from Hinata who seemed on the verge of fainting once more.

"We have the Grand-daughter of the Daimyo in our midst," Asuma replied looking at Sakura, "Sorry about that Sakura-sama," He held a bow as others followed his lead.

Surprised at the formality, Sakura felt Naruto's amusement through the bond. Breaking apart from her trance Sakura held Kurenai's arm, "Please raise your head Kurenai-sensei," Making sure the red eyed woman was okay.

"Asuma-sensei, Gai-sensei…guys, please raise your head," She implored them, "You don't have to bow to me or anything."

Smiling at the worry in her eyes especially at Kurenai's discomfort Asuma nodded his head, "Are you sure, Sakura-sama?"

"Yes, please," She replied in a relieved voice, "I am no different than before sensei. You don't have to be so formal. Sakura is fine."

Acquiescing her request Asuma observed Gai and Kurenai's reaction. Seeing the smile on both their faces he knew both of them wouldn't mind serving under Sakura when it came time for her to take the throne, "You know…this sash on my waist is a reminder of my tour of duty as one of the Ninja Guardians."

At her nod he continued, "The group might not exist anymore but I would like to make a pledge to you on my service. If you need any help please do not hesitate to ask."

"From what I have heard, my father brought you to Konoha and protected you. It seems Sarutobi clan has been protecting the Daimyo's family one way or another. If you will accept it I am willing to pledge the service of the clan to you."

Wide eyed at the unforeseen declaration, Sakura gathered herself looking straight at him. With eyes filled with gratitude she gave a deep bow in return, "Asuma-sensei…thank you."

"You don't know what it means to me…that you are willing to place your trust in me," Raising her head with tears in her eyes she stood upright with an air of authority around her, "Please know I will be deeply honored to accept your offer…if I am accepted by the court."

"For the trust you showed me let me say this…Even though I don't have a clan to back me, if you ever need any help…I will do everything in my power to uphold the pledge in the spirit it was made."

"Well said," Gai shouted loudly as cheers broke out all over the street, "Your flames of youth are indeed shining brightly."

As the event unfolded Naruto looked at Sakura with a proud expression. They might not have wanted it but he was sure there was no better person for the job. As the people around them cheered her on, he saw her embarrassed expression, [See, I told you everyone would love you.]

[You are enjoying this too much,] She sent back with annoyance clear in her emotions.

Getting back to their friends Sakura noticed Ino standing in front of her, "Sakura-sama," She said hesitantly.

"Sakura-sama? Really Ino-pig?" She teased her friend and rival.

At the amused expression on Sakura's face, Ino grimaced mockingly, "Yeah…I felt dirty saying it, Forehead."

Laughing at her friend's jibe she had to steady herself as Ino hugged her suddenly. Regaining her balance she listened to her go on about how Sakura was a Princess now and she was a Princess's best friend, "Ino-pig, I am not a Princess yet."

"Oh please," Ino replied taking a step back, "Tsunade-sama is onto it. She will make sure Konoha has a Princess."

Turning around she grabbed Hinata and Tenten bringing them back to Sakura, "We will have to go clothes shopping. You will get new dresses from the capital right?"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked at Ino's question. It had been a really long time since she had even thought about clothes and fashion. Last time it happened she was 15 in the other timeline. Since, then she had lived a lifetime and was living it once again.

Making sure to keep the expectations down she raised her hand in a placating fashion, "Calm down Ino. I don't even know if the Daimyo's court will accept me. The dresses are far away."

"Sakura, you can't think like that anymore. You are going to be a Princess so of course you will need to look pretty," Ino daydreamed thinking about all the clothes she would be able to buy if she was a Princess.

"I can just Henge the dress over," Sakura shrugged feeling awkward with all the people around them.

Kurenai listened to the banter with an amused expression. Seeing the wistful expression on Ino's face and the almost pained expression on Sakura's let her know everything. It seemed Sakura had outgrown her girly phase in the past three years, outgrowing her peers.

'You have grown Sakura. If you are not willing to part with your shinobi clothes,' Kurenai thought wistfully, 'Killing a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber doesn't happen by being a fan-girl, after all,' She smiled remembering the 12 year old who used to swoon at Sasuke's name.

Kakashi's arrival in the middle of the group interrupted the ramblings of the teenagers. Seeing the intense expression on his face everyone inevitably tensed though Sakura turned towards Kurenai to distract her, "Kurenai-sensei, please calm down. Don't raise the adrenaline level so much."

With her concentration broken she saw Kurenai taking a deep breath to get her heart rate down. Facing Kakashi, she raised her eyebrow in question as several ANBU arrived behind him, "Something the matter, Kakashi-sensei?"

Hiding his shock at the gathering in the middle of the village, Kakashi eyed his female student, "Tsunade-sama is requesting your presence in front of the Daimyo and his court."

Letting go of the breath she was holding, Sakura looked towards her husband to see his determined nod. Taking her cue she centered herself to keep her emotions in check. Bobbing her head in agreement she walked towards Naruto as the ANBU surrounded the two of them. Before they left however, she saw Naruto rooted on the spot looking at their friends.

[Naruto?] She questioned at his lack of movement.

Instead of answering her through the link, Naruto walked towards their friends, "Guys would you all mind coming with us?"

Startled by the question all of them turned towards Kakashi as he asked, "Naruto? What are you doing?"

"Nothing Kakashi-sensei," He winked at his teacher mischievously before turning towards his teammate, "Sakura-chan, if all of them are there…it will send a message to everyone that they are behind you."

"The future political might of Konoha?" Shikamaru asked with narrowed eyes remembering his father's words regarding both members of Team Kakashi.

"Are you against it, Shika?" He asked with glittering eyes.

Sighing at the roguish behaviour by one of the powerful people in their generation, Shikamaru could only shake his head uttering, "Troublesome," As he walked towards Sakura he saw the grateful look on her face.

Rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment he shrugged his shoulder, "I don't mind coming with you. We do have a friend thing."

Hearing Shikamaru's reasoning, the other two members of Team 10 silently walked towards Sakura and stood by her. Not one to wait patiently, Kiba grabbed Hinata's arm dragging her towards the pink haired teenager.

"What are you doing to Hinata-sama?" Neji shouted at Kiba pulling the Hyuuga heiress along.

"What do you think?" Kiba replied as he reached members of Team 10, indicating Shino to join them, "We have a Princess to support…and when Sakura becomes one she can help Akamaru get better accommodations than a stable to sleep at night whenever we have a mission to the capital or something."

"I believe helping Sakura is the right thing to do. You should not ask for a favor for such a noble task, Kiba," Shino said while walking towards the group.

Amused by Kiba's reasoning she shook her head fondly. No matter how ridiculous the demand she would make sure Akamaru got good accommodations if she had any power to do so. Before she could contemplate any further she heard Tenten walking towards them.

At Naruto's gratitude, Tenten shrugged her shoulders, "She will be the first kunoichi Princess. I am not missing this one."

"Yosh, Sakura-san I promised you during the Chuunin exams that I will protect you. I am not one to go back on my words. I will raise my flames of youth by supporting you," Lee shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Very well said, my student," Gai came in with tears in his eyes, "Your flames are truly-"

"Oh look at the time," Kakashi suddenly exclaimed interrupting Gai's impassioned speech. He knew if the show went on they would have to see the dreaded Genjutsu so turning towards the remaining shinobi he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Of course I am going," Neji replied already halfway through, "Unhand Hinata-sama this instant," He ordered glaring at Kiba.

Shaking her head at the antics of her friends Sakura watched Asuma hold onto Kurenai's hand as they calmly walked towards the rest of them. Smiling in gratitude to the people beside her Sakura set a slow pace towards the meeting.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei but with Kurenai-sensei's pregnancy we might be a little late," She apologized for the slow speed.

Shrugging his shoulders in nonchalance, Kakashi replied, "It's not a problem, Sakura. I just said that earlier to stop Gai's tirade."

"That was un-youthful of you, Kakashi," Gai exclaimed in outrage.

"Hmm?" Kakashi opened his orange book, "Did you say something?"

"Oh! That was so hip of you Kakashi," Gai exclaimed. Seeing that he was having no effect on his fellow shinobi he admitted defeat, "Grr…alright, Kakashi you might have won this one. It drives me nuts when you act so cool."

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

Reaching the council room in the middle of the village the group found themselves barred from entering by samurai guards. Narrowing his eyes at the blatant disrespect to the Hokage of Konoha by the Daimyo of Fire Country with the guards stationed outside the chamber, Naruto was ready to enter the room by force.

"Stop!" Sakura called out startling everyone around them, "This is the matter of the capital so the priority is given as such."

"Even the guards?" Naruto asked pointedly.

"It's unorthodox," She nodded in acknowledgement, "But how much do you want to bet the Daimyo is not aware of this?"

Paying close attention to the uniform of the now tensed guards he noticed the patches from East of the Fire country. Recalling the history of various Generals of the capital he remembered the overly militaristic views of one of the advisors sitting inside. From what he had read about the man, he was similar to Danzo on his views about governance.

Suddenly recollecting a piece of information from the dossier Jiraiya gave him to study Naruto grabbed Sakura's attention through the link, [He is also one of those blood purists.]

[What?]

[Yeah, I remember reading about it.]

[The whole thing makes sense now,] Sakura replied shaking her head.

"Still…" Naruto uttered loud enough for everyone around them to hear.

"It's not your decision to make. You are not in power right now, Naruto," Sakura stated with a deliberately barbed voice to hold him off.

"Sakura is right, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted their conversation, "You will stand down…right now is not the time for the use of force."

"Who said anything about using force?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow, "It's about sending a message…Nobody can come in here and try to usurp Baachan's authority."

"Nobody is doing that," Asuma cut in, "You don't know whether Tsunade-sama allowed it or not."

"In a military village? Run by Baachan…you think she would allow someone else to guard the chamber?"

"Others are guarding the chamber, Naruto" Kakashi pointed out.

Looking at the guards he answered back, "I know ANBU has this place surrounded like nobody's business," Seeing the tensing of the guard's shoulders he was about to go on before being interrupted by an individual exiting the chamber from a side door.

"What is going on here?" Wearing the clothes of the Daimyo's administration said person asked as he neared the group.

"Hamano-san," Sakura walked out of the middle as she recognized the man's voice.

Spotting the pink haired teenager, Hamano bowed deeply, "Princess Sakura, it is good to see you again."

Embarrassed at such a deep bow Sakura replied, "Please Hamano-san, call me Sakura. Princess feels weird."

Smiling at her demeanor he shook his head, "I am sorry Princess but decorum needs to be followed at all times. I would be honored to address you as per your instructions in private…if that's all right with you."

Sighing in defeat Sakura just nodded her head. Interrupting the conversation Naruto stepped forward addressing the Daimyo's staffer, "Hamano-san, why are Samurai guarding the chamber entrance?"

Hearing the question, he took a closer look at the guards. Recognizing the symbol on their lapels he asked them, "What are the guards of the General of the East doing here?"

"We have been ordered to guard the chamber," The leader of the samurai guards replied with his hand on his sword.

"Who ordered you?"

"Whom do you think?" The soldier asked haughtily, "My lord of course."

"Then leave," Hamano intoned, "This is under the jurisdiction of the Hokage and the Royal Guard."

Scoffing at the order, the leader of the Samurai freed the blade from his scabbard, "We do not take orders from you…You would do well to remember that."

Seeing the narrowed eyes of the teenager Hamano remembered the new Princess and the blonde were apprentices of two of the strongest ninja in the world. Considering they had just killed Orochimaru drove the point home for anyone that they were dangerous.

Placating the blonde haired teenager Hamano stepped in front of him before he did anything rash, "Naruto-san, I understand your anger but let me take care of it."

"They are not important enough for you to even acknowledge them," Hamano shrugged as the guards bristled at the insult, "If you will please wait, I will personally bring the royal guards here."

Hearing the conversation from his perch hidden in the corner of the roof, Yamato materialized in front of Kakashi, "Senpai, the royal guards were dispatched to make rounds of the village."

Recognizing the voice Naruto understood the message loud and clear. He wasn't sure what game the advisor was trying to play but he wanted to make sure everyone knew that messing with Konoha was not in their best interest.

Thinking about the situation, Hamano recognized the signs of anger in Naruto's face. Knowing that leaving the situation would only make it worse he asked, "Kakashi-san, would it be possible to call the Royal Guards back here?"

Nodding his head in answer, Kakashi indicated to Yamato to message the ANBU keeping an eye on the Royal guard. It was a ninja village, no other force was allowed to roam free without supervision anymore especially after the debacle during the war with Suna and Oto.

"They are on the way," Yamato intoned through the mask before going back to his hiding spot.

"I hope this satisfies you Naruto-san. Rest assured the royal guards along with ninja from Konoha will be assigned to guard the chamber." Hamano looked at Naruto to make sure there was no commotion.

Then turning towards Sakura he spoke once more, "Princess, your presence will soon be required in front of the council. Would you please join me?"

"Certainly, Hamano-san. Please give me a minute to talk to Naruto first." Receiving a nod of acceptance from the senior aide of the Daimyo, Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him to the side.

Activating a privacy shield for show, she looked at Naruto, [Why are you so intent on this? It's not like they can do anything?]

[That's not the point, Sakura-chan,] Naruto shook his head, [This was a deliberate insult to Baachan. This kind of thing cannot be allowed.]

[You think the ANBU commander isn't aware that no Konoha ninja was visibly guarding the gate?] Sakura asked with exasperation.

[That's the problem, Sakura-chan. It means that Baachan is not aware of it since she would have never allowed it in the first place. You can't set a precedent like this no matter what.]

Thinking about his past life he continued, [I didn't allow it to happen when I was governing and our time was a lot peaceful. For an ANBU commander to allow it shows complacency and incompetence.]

Listening to his reasoning, she asked him a simple question, [You really want to make a big deal out of it?]

[You don't like it?] He asked a question of his own.

Sighing she sent her love to him through the bond to let him know she understood his point of view, [No, I really don't since it gives our enemies something against us.]

[Then what do you have in mind?]

[We let Shishou deal with the security issue. Our job should be to show her the problem.]

Deactivating the barrier she subtly wove a Genjutsu around the guards making them stand at attention to the side of the entrance. Recognizing the illusion Sakura saw the rigidity within the stances of the Shinobi. Smiling to calm them down Sakura sedately walked towards the aide of the Daimyo, "Hamano-san, I am sorry but I am going to take a different approach."

Without giving him a chance to ask a question, she turned towards the group that she came with, "I am going inside and I want you all to come with me…as my friends."

Turning around once more, she walked towards the main doors to the chamber. She knew without turning around that Naruto was right behind her and she could feel the presence of the rest of the group as they ambled together behind her.

Smiling at the trust shown in her, Sakura was surprised to find Hamano walking past the group reaching the door before her. At her unasked question, he shrugged his shoulders, "You are not the first Princess I had to deal with but I think it's alright for me to say that it will be a pleasure serving you."

With that he turned around and opened the door with a flourish. Quickly entering the chamber he stood to the side allowing the rest of the group to go inside. Walking beside his wife, Naruto immediately noticed everyone's eyes on them. Looking around the chamber he recognized the room mainly used during times of war. In this case the presence of the Daimyo and his council required all the pomp.

Observing the chamber he recognized the various clan heads from Konoha along with the elders and the Hokage sitting on one side while the advisors to the Daimyo sat opposite them. At Tsunade's questioning look he winked at her mischievously before the atmosphere was shattered by one of the councils.

"What is the meaning of this?" An advisor stood up from his seat, "This is a meeting of distinguished people. Who gave you permission to enter?"

Before anyone could reply, Hamano came to the forefront of the group and bowed, "My apologies, honored Council...Advisor Heike-sama but may I present the Princess of the Fire country, Haruno Sakura-sama as requested."

"It hasn't been decided whether she is the true heir to the throne yet," Heike pointed out with narrowed eyes, "You would do well to remember the standard procedure."

"Of course sir, I apologize," Hamano replied promptly.

"Advisor Heike, I am at a loss regarding your refusal to accept the presence of an heir to the Crown," The Daimyo spoke from his seat in the middle of the Council chamber, "All the requirement have been met so what is your reason against the inauguration?" The Daimyo asked with an uncharacteristically seriously face.

"Daimyo-sama, I am but your humble servant but the rules have to be followed," Heike answered with a solemn voice, "Sire, throughout the evidence presented to the council there was no mention of the mother. We do not know whether she was a commoner or not."

"The mother died during child-birth Advisor Heike," Tsunade replied to move the conversation along, "We are hardly to find anything about her now."

"Presicely, Hokage," Heike crowed loudly, "Without that identity we cannot let anyone be an heir otherwise the legitimacy of the throne would be in doubt."

Turning towards the leader of the country he started once more, "Daimyo-sama, only people of royal blood can ascend the throne."

"And she has royal blood in her…Hokage-dono has tested it herself," The Daimyo cut in sharply, "That's good enough for us."

Seeing that the Daimyo was getting angry, Heike knew he had to get other advisors under his side. He wanted to create doubt on the legitimacy of the heir to change the mind of the ruler of Fire country. He was surprised to find such a fire lit under the usually complacent and cowardly ruler. Though he should have realized the man was such a weakling that the thought of dying might have made him grow a spine, even if it was only there to make sure he survived.

"Sire, I understand your point of view but-"

Interrupting Heike's argument, another advisor rose from his seat, "Advisor Heike, with the death toll in the capital I am sure people will understand if we tell them the evidence regarding the mother was destroyed."

As other advisors talked amongst themselves, Tsunade spoke once more, "That is a reasonable assumption, Advisor Watanabe. With the death toll, I am sure the population will understand."

"They might understand right now but what about when the capital has settled down? If it came out that the mother is a commoner, people might revolt," Another advisor on the right of Watanabe spoke.

"I think the opposite would happen," Shikaku spoke from the other side, "People will love the fact they have a Princess who can understand them, considering till now she has lived a happy life as one of them."

"That might be so, Nara-san," Heike replied with narrowed eyes, "But we cannot allow commoners to think that anyone can become the ruler of the Fire Nation."

"And no one is doing that, Advisor Heike," Inoichi answered with a controlled voice, "It has been spread all over the nation that the Princess is the daughter of the late Crown Prince."

"Daughter of the Crown Prince and someone we don't know anything about," Heike looked around the council, "For all we know the mother could be a whore-"

As soon as those words were uttered a wave of pressure enveloped the chamber as Naruto unleashed his killing intent. As the very walls shook at their foundation the Daimyo found himself rooted to his seat having trouble breathing from the intensity of the bloodlust. The rest of the seated advisors were faring no better as they sat on their seats wide eyed.

Struggling to keep himself seated, Shikaku found himself clenching his fist from the flight or fight response his body was giving off. The sheer pressure he felt from the killing intent left him flabbergasted. He had read about Shodaime having the ability to freeze his opponents from sheer intent alone, he never thought he would ever feel anything like it against himself once more. The Kyuubi attack 15 years ago was the first time where he felt the terrifying killing intent.

Looking around he noted his teammates were faring no better. Watching other he saw the wide eyes of Hyuuga Hiashi trying to fight against the pressure, while Shibi was trying to control his insects as they buzzed around him. Looking at Tsume, he was glad Kuromaru wasn't here otherwise he wasn't sure what the canine would have done.

Turning his gaze upon the group that came in he saw most of them were standing there in sheer terror while Akamaru was trying to burrow in the ground. Seeing Asuma, Gai and Kakashi were faring no better than him he was about to call out the ANBU but the sight of Kurenai calmly standing there surprised him. Seeing Sakura's hand covered in a green glow against her stomach left him breathless. He understood she was deflecting the killing intent from Team Eight's Sensei, to protect the baby.

He watched as she moved away from Kurenai and brought her hand to Naruto's shoulder. As the pressure dissipated, he inhaled deeply to get oxygen into his lungs. Once in control he noted the staggered looks on the chamber's occupants as they stared at Naruto.

'The intent was so strong the past few seconds seemed like a lifetime,' He thought finally understanding the difference in strength between the teenagers of Team Kakashi when compared to the rest of the generation.

Interrupting his contemplation, he heard Inoichi speak in a dazed voice, "What the heck was that?"

"I…" Chouza replied as he failed to come up with an answer.

With an abrupt drop in pressure, the Daimyo and his advisors took in gulps of air trying to control their heartbeats. As everyone came to their senses, they watched Sakura slowly walk towards the Daimyo. Observing the way she walked Shikaku thought she looked almost ethereal, covered in black she was distant from the image of a Princess to be. But watching her, he realized there was something regal about her.

It was very hard to pin-point but the way she held herself seemed like she was meant to be a Queen. It was as if she was used to people staring and pointing at her. With her head held high he saw her reach the Daimyo and kneel down in front of him.

Knowing she held the attention of the whole room, Sakura thought about what she wanted to say. When Naruto unleashed his power, she had quickly moved back to deflect the pressure off Kurenai so that the baby wasn't affected. She understood Naruto's anger especially when Heike called her mother a whore. He might not have meant Haruno Mebuki but to the both of them it was the same.

She knew she had to take away Heike's wings from under him to keeps doubts to a minimum. The only thing she could come up with to thwart his plan was her next course of action. Taking a second to think about it she searched through the bond she shared with Naruto. He was her rock especially at times like this when she was doubtful of her ability to do something. Thinking back to her training in the other realm, she kept her teacher's words in mind.

'Your strength does not come from the techniques you know but the bonds you make…Listen to others, watch them, learn from them and if you can teach them. Breathe life into your connections and protect those bonds with your life…make the world see you Sakura.'

'Make the world look to you to shine light in the darkness,' Recalling the words of her teacher, she raised her head to look at the head of the Fire country, "Daimyo-sama, I understand that there is doubt regarding my blood and nobility."

"I can't do anything about that," She dipped her head towards the advisors, "I know there will always be doubters."

"And I can only think of one way to counter them," Taking off her headband she held it in front of her, "When I got this headband, I took an oath to protect and serve Konoha even if I had to lay my life on the line for it," Tightening her hold on the forehead protector she continued, "If you will allow me then I would like to extend that oath to the whole of Fire Nation."

With a determined grit to her voice she went on, "To the last man, woman and child I will live to serve and protect. I will be the Kunoichi of the people. A Kunoichi Princess for the Fire Nation."

The ruler of the Fire country found himself mesmerized by the resolve in the eyes of the pink haired teenager. Reminding himself that she was his Grand-daughter he couldn't help but feel his chest fill with pride. He felt small as he remembered his thoughts over the years about his power and position as the head of a nation. That a 15 year old girl was willing to put her life on the line for something she deemed important gave him a lot of heart. Even though his reasons behind the decision were selfish, the decision itself felt like it was the right one.

Bending down he held Sakura as they both stood up. Nodding his head he acknowledged her message, "I am honored to accept your pledge, Grand-daughter."

Turning his head he faced the people in the chamber, "From this day onward let it be known far and wide that I, Tokugawa Ieyasu proclaim Haruno Sakura as the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation."

As he finished his words the whole of the room rang out in thunderous applause. Looking around he noticed a few of his advisors and some council members from Konoha were less enthusiastic about it. But the Shinobi in the room, the heads of the Clans, his administrators and the Hokage of Konoha were indeed very happy at the news.

Looking out the still open doors he saw a line of people had gathered around the building. If he was reading the situation correctly his words were being spread throughout the village. Feeling euphoric regarding his decision, he raised his hands to ask for silence. As people settled down, he made another announcement, "This is the first time in the history of the Fire nation that a royal heir is also a trained Kunoichi."

Facing his grand-daughter he smiled, "Sakura you are now more than the Kunoichi of the Leaf. From now on, you are a Shinobi of the Fire Country. A symbol of a stronger bond between the Capital and the Village of Konoha."

Overlooking the crowd he continued, "This is a new beginning for Konoha and the Fire Nation. Let us make sure these bonds are never broken."

"Here, here." The people shouted around the room as the Royal Guard who had run inside when Naruto unleashed his intent tapped their weapons on the ground, while the Council members banged their fists on the table.

Raising his voice he declared, "People of Konoha, Fire Nation and the world beyond, I present to you, Crown Princess Sakura."

As the people around her celebrated her inclusion in the royal family, Sakura looked at Naruto across the table as he celebrated with the rest of their friends. Feeling his euphoria through the bond she met his eyes, giving him a wink at the happy grin on his face she took a deep bow in front of everyone.

Feeling giddy Sakura caught Tsunade's eye to find her smiling happily as well. Walking towards her teacher she was surprised by the sudden embrace of the Hokage of Konoha as she reached her. As Tsunade pulled back she nodded to her student, "I am so proud of you, Sakura. That was a beautiful oath."

"Thank you, Shishou."

Watching the embrace between the master and student, Naruto asked with a teasing smile, "Baachan can we meet our Princess as well or are you going to hog her all day?"

Releasing her hold on Sakura she smiled, "Go enjoy yourself," Facing Naruto she shook her head at his impish grin.

Remembering his antics beforehand, she stopped him with a warning, "We will talk about proper etiquette, when dealing with nobles later, brat."

Acknowledging her admonition with uncharacteristic seriousness, he dragged Sakura with him to join their friends.

Remembering Jiraiya's words when he worried about Naruto being in the centre of events she couldn't help but feel the same way about Sakura. It was a very big deal to go from being a Kunoichi from a civilian family to be a Princess of a whole country. Remembering the speech gave her heart that her student was ready for the challenge.

Getting out of her introspection she felt Shikaku's presence near her, "You have trained her well, Tsunade-sama."

"That was all her, Shikaku. I had no role in that."

"Then I think Konoha and Fire country is in good hands. She will make a fine Princess," Shikaku replied observing the teenagers surrounding Sakura.

"Let's hope so. Our challenges are just beginning but I have hope...Naruto and Sakura might just change this world of ours," Tsunade whispered with a serene smile.

Looking towards the Daimyo she saw him observing Sakura with a surprised expression on his face. She knew he had never seen a royal heir mingle with regular people with such ease before. After all, children with royal blood were usually hidden for their safety. Observing the teenagers acting like children she couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She could feel the times changing, she needed to make sure Konoha changed as well. She just hoped Naruto and Sakura would use it to take the village and the country to new heights of prosperity.

* * *

><p>***OMT***<p>

_**Well here it is. Sorry about the wait once again. I seriously thought I posted this chapter already. **_

_**Anyway, I know it is a transition chapter but I thought it was needed. With the fight the last chapter and Sakura being a Fire Princess is a big deal so I wanted to show how other characters deal with it, especially people around Naruto and Sakura. Of course their problems needed to be tackled as well. I know some of you may think the inauguration was done really quickly but the reason behind it will come up in the next chapter. I don't know what else to say to justify my reasoning behind the chapter. **_

_**Thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. It was so much fun reading them. I am glad there are so many people enjoying the story.**_

_**For now the only thing I can say is I hope you guys are here for the next chapter as well. **_

**_Please review. It's one of the thing that makes it really fun to write a story._ **


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